The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-05

If | fired and missed. or only further
wounded him, / would not have time to
reload before he was on me, so / low
cred the gun to await his nearer ap-
preach and give him shot at the
closest possible range. When he got
within few feet of me he reared him
self up, standing almost erect, and
beiched forth a hot sitting breath on
me that nearly stupefied me. For a
second | was completely dazed, but i'll
stantly recovering had the rifle in posi-
ton, and taking quick aim at his heart
pulled the trigger. when. to my horror,
it failed to act. / had forgotten in the
excitement that / had put the ham
mer at half-cock some time previously.
Before had time to rectify the blum
der he struck me terrible blow IN my
left side, and ] fell partly BIZ award,
the rifle being forced out of my ands
some distance. Instinctly irned
face downward and put my nd on
my breast to protect the wound, as /
felt the blood trickling down my side
| discovered that the thick blanket /
had on. as well as cloth vest and over
shirt and scarlet flannel undershirt. had
all been torn. leaving the lacerated
flesh bare to the hand. / feared the
smell of blood would still further ell
rage the bear who was now nosing me,
and poking me in the ribs in an appar-
ent effort to turn me over. While in
this awful predicament my mind was
busy forming plans to escape if posi-
BILE from what seemed imminent death.
/ had no sheath knife on me, mine be-
ing attached to the cartridge belt loan
ed the Indians. / had no idea just in
what direction the rifle was, nor could
/ see 1t in the long grass, and dared
not rise to look around so concluded
my wsest course was to play pos
sum-" and lie as still and breathless as
a man can when his life is at stake.
Several times the bear pushed his nose
against my ribs, and twice he clawed
me. He would sometimes leave me for
| a short space. and wander about, re-
| turning again and again to give me a
| poke and wander around me in a cir
| Gle, growing angrily at intervals. lie
| kept this up for some time. When at
| last | felt sure he had gone consid-
| cradle distance, or, perhaps, altogeth-
| err | rose cautiously and looked around
! when. to my indispensable satisfaction,
| he was nowhere to be seen. HufTiedly
| getting up. | made all haste to reach
| the cabin which / did. in an almost ex-
! hausted condition. for the strain on my
| nervous system had been a terrible
one and the recollection of 1T as I'wrfte
makes me even now faint and sick at
heart closed the door as l entered
and spread the blankets out on the
/ bunk to lie down, feeling that ! was
/ about to give up the ghost and soon
would visit "other seas and stranger
/ sky and Shores that mortal never
4 knew. | 6au a Sflldil ldbie dloiisoiuts
| the bunk on which was a fiat pocket
book, wherein | kept diary of events
/ I tore a leaf from this and wrote on 1t
/ with pencil: Am dying. Have been
killed by a bear" / remember being
able to get my shoes and overshirt off.
and. feeling a faintness coming on me,
| threw myself on the bed, drew the
| blankets over me and swooned.
When / awoke | was conscious of
| something moving around the mouse.
.f.srN, ynia u G
/ / could command. which l was panied
to find was scarcely audible to myself,
/ so weak and faint was |, asking II any
one was there. hoping the Indians had
| returned. No one answering, strained
! myself to listen for further proof Of
| my suspicion as to there being foot
| steps about the house, but all seemed
! quiet and still. 1t was now far ad-
| yanced into the night, for the moon was
! shining down through the opening in
/ the roof of the house that served for a
/ chimney
The cabin was Il by II. built 6 feet
high, with logs dove-tailed and hewn
on two sides to rest fiat on each other,
with layers of moss between. Inc
roof had a low pitch. had split rails
placed close together for rafters, with
] a thick covering of grass and clay mud,
/ leaving a square box opening IN the
center to allow the smoke to ascend, the
fire being built underneath on the
i n
! sufficed for window. The door was
about two feet wide made with thick
| hewn boards. The winters stores were
stored about in every convenient place,
| and two headquarters OF moose meat
| hung suspended from the rafters 1t
| now seemed to resolve itself into "a.
question Of my being able to hold out
| until the return of the Indians, for 1t
was plainly evident that | was utterly
incana BILE of helping myself in any ma
3A1 cir no
| excruciating pain at the least effort To
move. and | felt so weak and exhaust
ed that I was poNerless TO rise from
| where I lay. All kinds of gloomy fore
holdings now began to crowd IN on my
distempered imagination and ! became
feyerish and delirious The small alarm
clock, which had been to me almost
| companion in my solitude, not having
been wound, ceased ticking, and this
seeming trivial incident had most de-
| pressing effect upon me.
1t seemed like a death, and | thought
now my time would soon come-In fact
had come. Again | was sure heard
footsteps outside, and | tried to call
aloud but my tongue was pafcned ana
| could not speak. Presently | was
made aware of a gnawing and a
crunehing at the logs in the corner OF
the cabin where my bunk was, and 1t
dawned upon me that the bear was
trying to tear down the house. vio-
lent putting DIT inc dpOi $50
after assured me. that was right Ill
this conjecture. Not succeeding there,
he climbed up on the roof. and began
tearing off the covering of grass and
mud and. several small pieces came
tumbling down on the floor through
the spaces in the rafters. A dark sna-
| dow came across the stream of moon
light, and | knew he must be looking
down the chimney. What If he jumped
down and got penned up with me.
without any possible means OF egress.
The horror of the thought and its con-
sequences made me shudder. ] felt |
, was going mad. The room now seemed
, to fill with all kinds of gaunt, hideous
, shapes | groaned in agony of mind
and body, and was drawing the blank
cts over nv head to shut out the hor-
rid sights my delirious brain eonJured
nm WHOM crack rang out the sharp re-