The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-09-26
The FIELD OF ADVENTURE.

The FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
rHRTLLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
Exciting Adventure With a Grizzly
A Thrilling Runaway-A Vessel
CoIlides With Whale.
r r AIRY L. ROMAINE, who
M has just returned to his
home In Elk City, Idaho,
after spending several
weeks prospecting in the Bitter Root
Mountains, relates most exciting adj
venture which befell him near Murray,
the county seat of Shoshone County:
"My partner, Ben Williams, and /
had been working our way along the
range from q point near Big Bald
Mountain to the loop where the Bitter
Root range and the Ceur d'Alenes
form big, natural amphitheatre,
where big game, especially elk, are
Plentiful. We decided to stay there
until we had time to follow up the
lead, as old miners soy. We pitched
our camp under the shadow of rock
ribbed sentinel, passing our first night
in the little tent which had served us
splendidly during several hard rains.
On the following morning Ben found
the track of bear down by the spring
where we got our water. The print
of that foot was as big as dinner
plate, and the fact that some empty
salmon cans and some other refuse
which had been thrown just outside the
tent were missing get us to thinking,
and it wasn't difficult to trace the con-
nection between the missing articles
and the owner OF the big foot.
"There was no more tenting for
yours truly after that, so we built us O
sort of stone fortress in a suitable
nook, where nature had already done
the mason work on three sides. After
laying up the wall on the vacant side
we placed heavy poles across the top,
on which we put flat stones.
"We did all our prospecting to-
gether for a week or ten days, BeI
carrying his big 5000 Sharp's special
and acting as body-guard, while
handled the pick. All that time we
saw no bears, but plenty OF elk ant
antelope and not q few mountain
sheep. Our grizzly bear scare fnali.
cooled. One morning I decided to ex
plore a side canon. Bob was t,
climb over the big spur that loomet
up over our camp, swing around ant
meet me at noon near a sharp cone o
rock which we called Currecant
Needle. 1 found mighty lkel,
pay rock up that ravine, ant
the further / went the better tn,
showing. The place is undoubtedl
the site of an old volcano. Grea
masses of rock from overhanging crag
have fallen and rent the floors, wit
some OF the assures very wide and ap
parently bottomless. Knocking off
piece of friable sand rock I found it t
be auriferous, or gold-besring rock
don't know whether the yell I CAV
split any more cracks in the rock roun
there or not, but one thing I do know
I nearly split my throat in the effort
and then I mounted the big chunk an
swung my hammer like a mailman
knocking of chips right and left unit
I had big pile.
s'Soon / heard noise close by, an
supposing it to be Ben, yelled
'Hurrah, Ben, I've struck it ri
just then I looked up, and the sight
saw froze my blood, Not forty fet
distant was an immense silver ii
: grizzly.
"Acting upon impulse ] hurled m
quartz hammer at the monster, ani
as he dropped on ali fours, I leape
from the rock, hoping to evade hi
by lodging around the boulder.
may have been q foolish move, but
had no time to think. After jumpin
from the rock was obliged to halt
moment, in order to satisfy myse
which way he was coming. ] improve
the moment by drawing my forty .for
Colts from its sheath.
"WLen the bear reached the poll
where he expected to nab me, or
found that / was not there, he ga'
vent to o tremendous snuff, follows
by kind of cultural roar, and aga
! heard him coming at double quic
! ran as I never ran before.
!, 81 glanced hurriedly around al
saw the gigantic fellow coming like
. demon and then / stepped into one
: the assures I told you about, and doy
!. / went like fash. The grizzly W
. SO close on me when fell that he we
. entirely over me. carried by the for
of his momentum. -Hewas back aga
}, in q moment though, his immen
head hanging over the rim OF my nj
row prison, which l quickly and nae
}, gratefully saw was too narrow to a
), NIT his bulky body.
;, 81 was on my knees not six feet b
= low the grizzly, and I felt that I cou
: do deadly work with my revolver
!. that range. I pointed my pisl
straight at the yawning red moui
My pistol roared in my ears. Fl
shots more were fred as fast as cou
send them, and then my gun "
!. empty. but, thanks to my lucky sta
| ono of NV hullefs pierced an eve n