Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1896-07-15
FACING A GRIZZLY.
A Boy Kills an Angry Bear with
Blow of an Ak.


RADIO sun had done it's duty and made
Phil as brown of face and stout of limb
as any Of us-that the geology class
consisting Of the professor and ten pu-
pills, made an excursion into the range
with the object Of taking a practical
lesson among the limestone beds at the
back Of Lincoln Peak.
Away we went-feeling very hilari~
GUS at the idea Of making an independ-
ent expedition, even with Blinkers for
a -scramblIng over rocks ana
fallen trees, chasing squirrels and chip.
hunks, throwing stones at birds ana
rabbits, and behaving generally just
like what we were-a parcel OF school
boys.
Presently we emerged from the trees
and came out upon another little open,
park-like stretch Of ground. Halfway
across 1t our attention was suddenly at
tracted by a stir among some high
grass, and out jumped little, dark-col-
ored, short-legged animal, which looked
like a woolly pig-if there be any sueh
thing In nature.
Away 1t scuttled, and away we ali
went, with a shout, In pursuit.
Phil happened to be some distance
behind at the moment, being busily en-
gagged In digging tarantula's nest out
of the ground with his knife; but as
soon as he saw what we were doing, ne
came racing after us, shouting, LOOK
oufi Look outt IT'S a."
We did not hear what. we were max
ing so much noise ourselves.
But the little animal, whatever It was,
was too quick for us and disappeared
into some willows, while we were still
twenty yards behind. The next moment
the willows waved and bent and out
bounced a great she-bear-a grizzly!
With a yell of dlsmay we all turned
and, scattering like flock OF sparrows
when a cat jumps into the midst OF
them, fed for the nearest trees. Blink
ers, quite forgetting that he was the
general of the little expeditionary
force, made such use of his long legs
that he was safely up tree before any
of the rest of us had reached one.
AS for me, never reached one at all.
In turning to run / tripped over the
ak, and though was up again In an In
slant. the check made me the last OF
the fugitives.
The chase was soon over. In six
Jumps, It seemed to me, the great beast
caught me, and with one blow of her
paw on the middle of my back, sent
me, face downward, to the ground. with
every atom of breath driven out of my
body.
This last circumstance was good
thing for me; could not have moved a
muscle IL had wished to. Consequent
ly the bear supposed that l was dead.
and instead of tearing me up into small
pieces, as l expected, she began shifting
me all over and turning me about with
her claws.
Suddenly, however, she ceased and
began to growl, and l heard Blinkers
up In his tree call out, "Go back! You
can't do any good. You'll only get
yourself killed, too" From which |
concluded that Blinkers and the bear
had one thought in common; they both
supposed me TO be dead
was beginning to recover my breath
little by this time, and in my anxiety
to see what was going forwardI made
slight movement with one arm, and
in an instant the bear had that arm be-
tween her teeth. 1t hurt me so horri-
bly, that tainted, and all that happen
ed afterwards gathered from the other
boys.
Phil, when he saw me knocked down,
instead of climbing up a tree like the
rest, ran back to where | had dropped
the ak, and, picking 1t up, advanced
to my rescue.
1t was mad thing to do, there is no
doubt about that; but Phil did it-and
without thought of his own danger.
1t was In vain that Blinkers called to
him to go back; he did not seem to hear,
but kept coming on slowly, with his
eyes fixed on the bear, and the ak held
In readiness to strike.
The bear dropped my arm and adj
vanced step, standing across my body,
growing and turning up her lips until
all her great white teeth were exposed;
but still Phil came on. At six feet dis
lance he stopped. The bear took step
forward, and then another, and then,
with all the strength of his body dou-
bled by the intense excitement of the
moment, Phil struck at her with such
force and precision that he split her
skull clean in two.
L., a
ed In doing some mischief.
With a last convulsive effort she
struck out, and, with her great claws,
tore away the front of Pills coat, vest
and shirt, and made three deep cuts
all across his chest from the left shout
der diagonally downward. Another
inch and Phil must certainly have been
killed. AS it was, he stood for a mo-
ment swaying to and fro. and then fell
nd atnnn tho Had hnl,- A..