The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-04

r
TO break camp. As they we're bending
! over the packs a crash vas hear1 in
the tangled swamp Higgins looked
! over his shoulder and mis- haiF i4irly
| stood on end as he beheId big black
bear proceeding steadily toward him.
Here comes bear, Charley he eX-
claimed in excited tones.
Metcalfe, who was Juggling at the
straps on his pack sack. thought his
partner was attempting TO spciag some
Joke. made laughing reply and kepf
at mis- work, without looking around.
Higgins jumped to his feet. waved
his arms and shouted loudly az the
bear Metcalfe then looked around and
when he saw that a bear really vas
! coming he was too scared to either
move or yell. Higgins kept shouting
and waving his arms at the big back
| brute. The ugly-looking customer
came right ahead until he was within a
couple of rods of the prospectors. and
then stood upon his hand legs and
eoolly viewed the situation.
Metcalfe recovered enough from his
fright to grab some tin buckets and
rattle them noisily together. The bear
simply blinhed his eyes and licked his
chops with his red tongue
Billy, get out the dynamite Hef
right on US cried MetcaIfe. in terror.
We've got TO do something"
Higgins reached into the pack sack
! and brought out a stick of dynamite,
which the prospectOrs used in testing
gold bearing quartz veins, when they
were so lucky as to discover .ne. The
explosive was frozen. and he quickly
cut it into four pieces and proceeded
to thaw out piece by the embers Of
the camp fire.
Hurry up! Hurry up" calculated
Metcalfe, as he nervously stepped from
! one foot to the other and ratified the
tinware to hold the bears attention.
The unWelc0me visitor wi1ined Il little
blinked his small eyes, licked his
mouth with that red tongue and shut
fed around on his hind feet. Higgins
was nervously attempting TO thaw out
the dynamite. He then got out tul-
mfnatfng cap, inserted it in the dyna-
| mite, attached fuse, touched an en-
Der TO it and threw the explosive right
under the bear.
The animal saw the smoking fuse and
shifted its odOr. His eyes glittered omi-
nously and he never budged a step.
The fuse burned down and flashed
out without setting off the dynamite
cap. II either had not been properly
inserted or else the cap was a poor one
; The bear then suddenly turned tail and
ran off several rods. Almost as quick
~ he turned around, came back and
took up his original position.
Higgins fastened to attach a cape
and fuse to a second piece Of dynamite,
while MetcaIfe kept saying. Wen
stand together, Billy! Wen stand to-
gether. Billy"
| Bruin stood there like d black statue
Metcalfe gained better control of him.
self and looked the unweIeome visitor
in the eye. Thus they stood until the
prospector looked over his shoulder TO
see what progress his companion was
\ mo rfr Il
ship thereupon again stood on his hind
( feet, blinked his eyes. whined. opened
his mouth. twisted his jaws and licked
his chops with that red tongue in a
manner that did not at all reassure the
/ two men.
Hurry, Bill. hurryr exclaimed Met
calfe.
( Higgins then second time threw the
dynamite. A second time it failed to
I explode; a second time the bear anbIed
away and second time turned back
and took up his old position.
I During the second temporary retreat
of the persistent animal, MeteaIfa
/ grabbed up the piekax, and Higgins,
after fixing a third piece Of Dynamite
I with cap and fuse. grabbed up the ak
One OF US will have TO gol' ex-
claimed Metcalfe, but we'll stand to-
( gether. Good-by, Billy, if he gets me-"
( "Good-by, Charlie, replied Higgins.
but wen try to see that ne gets
neither of US
I Metcalfe hastily and foolishly decided
/ to have the agony over, and proceeded
( to hurry up matters. Picking up a big
rock, he threw il, and struck the bear
a fearful blow on the abdomen. The
/ animal gave roar Of pain and turned
/ round and round in a manner that
made the gravel fly. He then started
( toward Metcalfe. but stopped and stood
upright when ne raised his pickax and
/ stood in defensive attitude
Now hit him from behind with the
ak. Billy" cried MetcaIfe, as he aimed
a blow at the animals head.
( Mr.. Bear, with all the dexterfty of 4
4 FitzsimmCns, not only parted the
! blow. but struck the pickax with his
I powerful paw and sent it flying into
/ the bushes. Higgins threw the ak and
/ struck the animal blow in the flank
/ that made him drop Metcalfe and whirl
round and round With pain ard sur
prise, which he showed with growls
that were simply terrifying.
j Metcalfe, retreatiug, after losing his
I pickax, stumbled over q, fallen log and
/ struck the earth with such force that
/ he thought he was killed. Just as he
had partly scrambled to his feet. he
! was thrown to the ground a second
time in half-stuNned condition He
/ hedrd lOO0 report and was half COW
I cred with flying dirt and gravel
In few moments ne regained his
senses. His face was cut and bleed
ing and his body was covered with
I painful bruises. Less than ten feet
away lay the bear, a harmless. man
gled, bloody mass. A few yards to the
/ right lay Higgins. insensible, but alive.
He also was cut and bruised with fv
ing gravel and stones.
Metcalfe picked up a basin. filled il
i with water in the edge of the swamp
and dashed it in the face of his COM
penion. He soon regained conscious
ness. but his left arm hung broken and
helpless at his side.
] After throwing the ak, Higgins acted
promptly and effectively. He lighted
the fuse which had been attached to
the third piece of dynamite and threw
1t squarely under the bear A deafen-
ing explosion soon followed, and, while
the effect was hard on the prospectors
it eliminated the bear from the prob
lem. A great hole was torn in the ami
mails flank and its backbone was br>ol5-
en-. Death came in an instant
The men were so miles from Rat
Portage. Metcalfe fixed up Higgins,
| arm as well as possible Taking their
blankets and a little food, they took IN
a slow and painful march ten miles
through the woods to a stream Pad
ding % miles down a stream in q.
birch-bark canoe, they reached the
( Canadian Pacific railroad track and
two hours later were fortunate enough
In C7tPh a IA fraiot7f into Dot