Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1896-07-17
y 80 that bar come in that openin'.

duTOut SOmcWhar. COrdln 10 the ma
tur' O. bars ne oughter be here some
whar, less he's ben eat up by bats
eve went around and around the
cavern, which was at least so feet across
and 80 feet high, our torches revealing
all parts of it within the area of their
lighting power, but no bear or sign of
bear did we see.
"'He must gone on to some other
part o this scooped-out dorrick,' said
Uncle jim. 'Lookin' for place, maybe.
whar he don't have to bunk in with so
many bats. Move ahead, Jack, through
the first openin' out O. here yuh kin
find. We'll-hold on, Jack. Twist thai
torch O. your'n up lords that shelf yum
der. Aha! Yuh cunnin' cuss!'
''The shelf Uncle Jim mentioned was
rather a niche in the wall of the cavern
on one side, and all of Is feet from the
floor. AS near as I could make out by
the torchlight, the niche was about ten
feet long and five high. How deep it
was l could not see. It was deep enough
for the purpose of comfortably hold
ing bear, however, as I soon found
out.
Trouble with yous,' continued I'm
Gle Jim, with his eyes fixed on the niche.
that your curiousness is too much fer
your cunnin'nes Other ways, yul,
wouldn't got ketched.'
II hadn't seen anything all this time
to call forth these remarks from the
old hunter, but just then Johns torch
was fiared around and saw two eyes,
glistening in the reflection of the light,
glaring over the edge of the niche. We
stood about in the center OF the cavern.
and as Uncle Jim ceased talking the
owner of the eyes evidently made up
his mind that he would take the intrud-
ers on his quarters in hand, for he
dropped out of the niche to the floor
like monkey leaving his perch, and by
the flaming light of the torch saw all
enormous bear standing on his hind
feet against the wall. The bear didn't
stand there long, but advanced savagely
toward Uncle Jim and John, who stood
side by side, John holding the torch
and Uncle Jim his gun. L stood a step
or two in their rear, off to one side. AS
the bear came forward Uncle Jim
shouted:
"'Flash the torch in his eyes!'
"John gave the torch twist, and the
blaze shone square in the bears eyes,
dazzling them so that he turned his
head around and lowered it little to
evade the light. He was but little more
than a gun length away when he turned
his head. and as he turned it Uncle Jim
fired. The huge brute dashed on toward
the two men, and before either could get
out of his way one of his immense fore
paws CAME down against Uncle Jim's
chest and the other caught John by the
shoulder.
Both men staggered back under the
force of the blows, but did not fall.
There stood all three, revealed to me by
the light of Johns torch, which he still
held aloft, the bear with both men in
lis clutch, with an awful look in his
eyes and his mouth wide open, and
they standing motionless as il para
lyzed with terror. was about to send
4 bullet into the bears brain to save,
as I supposed, the lives of my COM
nanions, when the fact that he had not
moved muscle since he seized Uncle
Jim and Jack struck me. I stepped
quickly forward. The bear did not
move. He stood there erect and firm,
but he was stone dead! Uncle Jim's
bullet had struck him at the butt If
the left ear and dislocated his neck
The big fellow had dashed forward in
his death throes, died the instant he
ctr h1c o1ox ;r%~ =
and stood there just as he died. The
long, sharp claws were buried so deep
in the clothing of the two hunters that
l had to cut it away with my hunting
knife before they could be released
from the bears death clutch.
"'Thar!' exclaimed Uncle jim after
the bear lay stretched on the cavern
floor, I've killed many and many bar,
and had m die on my hands in all sorts
O. ways, but I'll be doped if ever I see
one die standin' afore! And this is
the first time I ever knowed bar to
try to kill teller after he was dead his
self
"'But this amt my BEAR" said John.
My bear wasn't as big as one side Of
this bear. Can't be, can it, Uncle Jim,
that he could waxed as big and fat as
this on bats since Yesterday
''But an idea seemed to have come
suddenly to Uncle Jim that puzzled
him. He took a string from his pocket
and measured the width of the bear
between the shoulders. and its height
if on all tours. 49,,
1.-Two foot and e. half wide,' said
Uncle Jim, and four foot high. Thur
amt no ways that bar could figger SOS
he could git inter this here hole by the
door we come in by. But he's in here,
sartin, and consequently he must a
got in. How and whar? That's what
we got to find out, pertic'ly cause if he
couldn't tit in the way we did, we can't
git him out that way, and I'm goin'
ter git that bar out o. here hull. Any
bar that dies standin' up and tries
to kill me after he's dead, I'm gointer
take home hull. Consequently, we must
find out how and whar lie got in
"'But how about my bear, Uncle
jim" said John. 4 didn't come into
the bowels Of Old Scarface IN p;+ 4I;c