Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-02
THE FIELD OF ADV ENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
\ Bears Aid in Finding Gold
Thirty-Six DAYS in an Open Boat
Saved by His Horse.

Saved by His Horse.
Ohm b. SARGENT, OF San
II Francisco, who has been in the
~ kootenay mining districts for
tho past two months, tells re.
markable story of the way n tender.
foot from Montreal discovered a gold
mine in that far away mining region.
The Young man, who was clerk, was
spending u few weeks with friend
engaged in mining, and put in his
time fishing and hunting. The loca-
tiun of his friends cabin was far up
toward the headwaters of one OF the
tributaries of the Kootenay River, far
from any other prospector, and III a
section where the bears were not only
numerous, but irquisitive and II ouble.
some.
When both men were away from the
cabin it was necessary to carefully
close up ull the openings, as the bears
mad an unpleasant habit of climbing
into the cabin, and, besides, getting
away with all the provisions i'll sight,
played football with the cooking uten.
sils. The bears were of tho common
brown variety, none of them very
large, and were not considered dan.
eerous; in fact, their worst trait OF
character was the familiarity which
bred anger rather than contempt. One
day as the Two friends were returning
from n hunting excursion they saw
three bears investigating the sur
roundings Of the cabin, occasionally
stopping to roll about camp kettle
which had been thoughtlessly left
outside.
Both men we're armed with rifles,
and as they succeeded in getting near
the animals without being perceived,
were able to take deliberate aim. As
they delivered their fire two of the
bears fell. the third scampering off up
the mountain. AS they supposed both
animals dead, they neglected to re-
load, and had approached to within
few feet of the PROSTATE bears when
the largest suddenly sprang to his feet,
md with fierce roar, made directly
for them.
The young man from the city haa
never cultivated close acquaintance
with the bear family, and did the first
thing that occurred to him-dropped
his weapon and sprinted for the near.
est tree, about 100 yards away, and
growing on the edge OF a gulch twelve
or fifteen feet deep. The bear stopped
a few seconds to sniff at the rifle, and
then contemptuously tossing it aside
continued the chase. The hunter
reached the tree and had climbed to
the lower limbs when his pursuer
reached it, and without any hesitation
commenced the ascent. This was some.
thing that the amateur huntsman had
not calculated upon, and he Mt once
proceeded to climb higher, in the hope
that bis antagonist might get tired and
give up. The tree leaned somewhat
over the ravine, making the climbing
easy, but the fact favored the old bear
as we'll, and when n,ar the upper
branches the young fellow found to
his dismay that the bear was entirely
too close for comfort. At that moment
however, his friend, who had recovered
from his fright, and reloaded, shot the
animal through the head.
Now another danger manifest itself.
The combined weight OF the man and
the bear had been too much for the
slender hold of the roots of the tree
upon the soil, and as it leaned further
and further over the gulch it became
evident that unless he could scramble
down the man would be thrown upon
the rocks at the bottom. Clinging to
one limb after another, he made des.
perate efforts to get down, but before
he had accomplished more than half
the distance the last root gave way
and there seemed to be nothing be.
tween him and death or serious injury.
His grip closed upon the limb to which
he was cl:nging, and in another moment
the top of the tree rested on the bottom
of the ravine, while the thoroughly
frightened man dropped upon car.
cass of the dead bear, himself almost
dead with fright.
But the strangest feature OF the ad.
venture was in falling over the tree
had removed the earth from four.
foot vein OF rich quartz, the existence
OF which had been entirely unsus.
pected. Now the young man from
Montreal is horny handed miner,
making good income out OF his claim,
which he had named "The Bear.
Denver Republican.