Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-10-30

: IN THE GRIP
: %. OF A GRIZZLY.
: The Unpleasant Experience Of a :
California Sheep Hsrder. :


:
"kI0W that you've all told your stor
IN les about the meannessardcuss
! edness of the coyote" said johnson
BECKER, a mountain herder in the San
Bernardino mountains of California. in Il
. company of ranchmen at the store
over at Warmers Springs the other even
ing, 81 have a little on that subject to
say myself. owe my life to a pack of
coyotes up in Kern county, and from
all that can learn they are the same
rs all others of the coyote family. In
1878 was teaching a district school in
San Diego county, and was all run down
IN health and spirits. When the long
summer vacation came on, | had an in
Ntation from my brother Ned to come
Il spend the INNER at his ranch in
the mountains in Kern county. | ac.
Hepted, and went there on mule back,
because there were no railroads in
southern California then.
The second day | was at my brothers
ranch. We went out for a week of hunt.
ing IN the mountains, We were armed
with the best rifles, and our horses car
ried a big lot of ammunition and camp
stores. Ned soon tired of hunting, and
after we had tumbled over two Wild
cats and several antelope he wanted to
get back to his horse. sheep and vine
Yards He told me that the upper noun
tam canyons were full of bic game.
and that he knew from the loss of sey-
eral calves and pigs that summer there
were bears in the heavy timber. That
was enough to excite my best endeay-
ors with a rife, and | stayed in the
mountains while Brother Ned went
down to his ranch. For n week more
| got nothing more than a deer, sew
eral antelopes, and for the sake of get
ting rid OF the mean yarmints, | shot a
dozen or so coyotes.
Il spent II night in a camp of a few
miners, who were washing gold in n
canyon, and the next morning when I
rode away one of them advised me TO
keep heal to their camp, for they had
seen the day before grizzly bear tracks
In the mud about the springs two miles
away. l~aughingly assured the miners
mat took pride in my craftsmanship,
and was naturally cautious and cool, so
l thought no harm could come TO me,
Along about noon that day | shot a
DUCK some 200 yards from me, and Ms
the wounded animal bounded away in
Il heavy %chaparral, | drove my spurs in
my mustang and gave chase. 1t was
easy to follow the buck, because il left |
a trail of blood stains on the ground,
and in the brush as it bounded along.
The deer ran down the mountain slopn :
1or perhaps a quarter of a mile, and {
then suddenly struck down the monn- q
tain, And so, following it, | came at /
last to the edge of the canyon, with
Its large timber and heavy UNDER
growth. just as | entered this cam ,
yon came upon the overturned trunk
OF an enormous tree, which had appar-
fallen several months before G
turning out a huge mound of clay with f
It's roots The trail of blood showed s.
nat the deer had leaped over the trunk.
put my horse was no jumper, and II
hastily circling around the tree. Il
As turned the angle of the clay mound Il
its root, with a vicious snort an enor- s.
hous grizzly sprang up erect out of the Il
and faced me with jaws open. fl
his apparition and the sudden squat a
ing OF my horse occupied one second. O
the next second was over nv o.
lorse had jumped about IS feet, / should V;
hink. l had gone over his back in a
'urve, turning somersaults before Il
truck the ground. My gun had gone
lear over the grizzly's head and lay on |
he other side of him, and there | was b,
With my leg broken above the knee. I
Isn't it queer what funny things br
'ou will think of in some awful mo- &C
nent OF sorrow Or suspense? [ Law ha
here. trying to imagine whether Ned er
'onid lind enough Of my bones TO ac- tn
ORD me decent burial when he came in
o search for me. / was absolutely feel we
ng in my pocket a little dizzily for n in,
'encil n paper, so that ] could write wi
rev words, when the grizzly came "
melted me over two or three times. and pu
t last tool hold of my left shoulder and he
egan to drag me. Then the main in sh;
~ broken leg and my tortured sboul. vic
er overcame me and | went off into gil
Inconsistencies. When an,
egan to find myself again tbe thu
bowling, deep growing and sid
OF rage startled me back it
ito the world. l found the priz. COZ
" standing over me, while al ha1
round, not more than 20 yards a,yav mo
ere great gaunt, hungry c~oyotes VIII
hey had gathered in great numbers fur
saw in a moment what had saved De
y life thus far. They were afraid ~ rot
'nture upon the bear while he held HE me
'ey, and he could not begin ripping nm VIII
S captive while they stood aronnd it's
rong in Numbers and e~mboldened bv exc
mine. Whenever the grizzly put his eve.
'ad down to take hold of me, the got
votes instantly began to crowd nenr. Pre-
%whereupon he raised his head with
growl, and they fled TO a safer
stance. This occurred not once or N
ice but a dozen times. The very fact all,
/ am here to-day, gentlemen, is Inc
e to a gang of coyotes that would have SON
n me into a good many fragments If Al
" could have had their way. ~,
But the brief respite, came to an ao's
!. The bear, tired Of being defrauded ~
bis meal, decided to drag il to some
secluded place, and there feast at S
leisure. He made one last charge Def
the coyotes and then, rushing II
*, seized my shoulder again and II,
rted off in a trot. A few moments OF stra
were followed by another faint quiz