The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-17
RUSHED BY BRUIN.
4 KEEN RACE FOR LIFE WITH OLD
EPHRAIM IN HOT PURSUIT..

huns are Less 10 ne fehreO-Ihrill-
Ing Adventure While Hunting Big
Game i'm the BOcI<ies-An Insatia-
BILE Appetite for Lead.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
Our camp was near headquarters Of the
/ Bighorn river, just where Owl creek runs
into it-an ideal spot for a shanty. and
in every way adapted to a hunters re-
quirements We were out on business
trapping for what our furs would bring
US in dollars-not merely a pleasure par
ty. Under such circumstances a bears
hide helps to "tote" up the balance.
and there was plenty of such game in the
mountains. "Old Ephraim" ranged here
where he pleased-the giant grizzly of
the Rockies, about which such thrilling
stories have been written, some of them
probably rather too highly colored 1t
is the fashion nowadays to accept with
incredulity much that travellers and
sportsmen write, and to consider it a
hunters privilege to draw the long bow
don't pretend to deny that some do
embellish their narratives, so as to make
them SAVIOR of the miraculous; but those
who have themselves hunted can always
discern between the truth and the fc-
ton, even where the truth looks to ordi-
nary stay-at-home mortals almost beyond
/ belief.
THAT the lion is the king Of beasts"
/ seems to US from infancy to be %. z.
D. but the lion can't hold a candle to
the grizzly bear, either as to courage or
tenacity of life A full-grown grizzly is
/ more than four times as heavy as the
/ finest lion that ever stepped the Veldt
+ and where lion will more often than
/ not endeaVor to escape, who has heard
/ OF grizzly acting HkeWise?-I mean if
/ once mOles ted.
/ OF late years the grizzly. in common
i with other animals, has "tumbled" to the
/ Increased efficacy of modern firearms, but
/ IL Is a respect which demands reciprocl ".
! hunters and bear agree pretty well now
/ adays, so long as both go their respective
/ ways. The hunter provides the bear with
suhdry meals, and in return he Is per-
! mitted to enjoy himself on "Ephriam's s.
! and there is sure TO be trouble
But | must return TO Owl creek, where
! Gerard, Fawcett and I were hunting an
/ trapping generally. One morning we
/ We're all busily engaged in choppinr wood.
| 1t was before the days of the crOss-cut
| down and chopped up--the delirious pleas
| ure of which work can only be duly APP
| Fl eciated by those who have tried it, I
| was matchmaking the bluntness of my
AK and the necessity of laying in a sup
/ ply of firing, when prolonged whistle
! from Gerard made us both look up, and
! there, sure enough, stood a huge grizzly
ia the swamp, some eighty rods from or
1t of clearing. Snow had not yet fallen
/ where we were camped, although on che
foothills there was plenty, and 'he bear
was engaged in munching up what few
/ clanberries remained, for even the car
times. In fact, where the wild plums
| SLOW, he will tear down trees to get at
the fruit. He had not appeared to pay
| any attention to the sound Of our axes,
hut when We left our chopping he looked
up and raised himself on his hind legs,
| as though better to take in our position.
Say, but he was an elegant hide" was
| Fawcett's remark, which 1 cut short by
bidding him to shut up or his own hide
| might become elegantly" scored. Mean
| while the bear had resumed his normal
gait and disappeared into the timber, at
the edge of the marsh through which the
creek made a bend.
Thinking that in all probability he would
not cross the stream, but follow 1t up
toward the mountains, We hastily ar
| which was easy enough to hold, even
| through the leaves; whilst Gerard was to
| head him off, Fawcett, who was never
really sure whether he would get "ague"
| or not even IL he came across a fawn, I
! advised either to stay in camp or else to
| keep some little distance behind me; for
| in this sort Of hunting you certainly carry
| your life in your hands, and the utmost
! sang froid is necessary. 1 still used the
| converted Enfield carbine, which required
! Gaping, though a breech-loader; l also
| had a heavy bulldog siX-shooter, which
| took ball not much less in caliber than
that of my. military piece. 1 had not fol-
! lowed our bear far before a young buck
| came tearing back on a runaway which
| crossed the trail l was taking. He went
/ Dy me ike a SIfedk, ana with the fright
he had evidently received before 1 added
! to his terror, he was well-scared deer
/ OF course, took no notice of him, but
moved carefully on, expecting every mo-
! ment to come up with the bear.
was wondering how far west Gerard
| had gone, and was looking for the bark
OF his old shooting, iron every minute,
! when, as I was climbing over a big cedar
| which lay directly in my path, from the
| upturned roots of which was just about
| to jump, 1 almost precipitated myself on
! pear. holding m m
one of the limbs like ali knew how. that
| just managed to swing myself round into
! sitting posture on the log. 1t was close
| shave; but 1t served me right for being SO
dams say.
Down beneath me in the moss was the
big grizzly, and he was not slow to resent
| this intrusion on my part. The stump I
| was perched on was shockingly bad foot
| hold; but as the bear rose on his hind
| legs and endeavored to scramble up I gave
! him a ball in the chest, for l thought my
self too low to fire at his head with Ger
tainty. The limb he had got hold of gave
way at the same moment and he went to
| the ground again. Instantly reloading I
was lucky enough to get a cap on in time
| for he was up and at me in bigger fury
than ever. / don't believe shall ever for
| get the expression of that particular bear.
| he was so close to me. certainly had lit
| tie leisure for making observations but
! the huge jaws, all suffering with blood
and foam, were within few feet of me- I
| lost no time in giving him another bullet;
! but although 1 knew it had gone true. he
/ took about as much notice of it as he
would of a saloon.
AS leaped back caught sight of Ger
ard coming up in the distance and | knew
he had taken in the situation The bear
/ had reached my vacated position and I
may be thankful that was light, compar-
! ed to my huge antagonist. BY jumping
from one fallen log to another managed
! to keep afoot pretty well; whereas the
bear crashed through everything like so
much matchwood-and you may imagine
| | led into the places most likely to bother