The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-10


and the canyon fairly echoed again to the
growing and barking of the dogs, the
trumpeting of the bear and the crashing
Of the rocks. The dogs had the old one
backed up against a huge rock, with the
cub behind her. They were about one
hundred and fifty yards away.
First one and then the other would
rush in and nip her from one side. This
kept her attention distracted, and had
reused her to terrible pitch Of rage, as
could tell by her furious snorting and
grunting, or rather barking. I now got
my first good view of her, and found that
she was an old grizzly of enormous size.
Concealing myself behind q rock, and rest
ing my gun over IL, ! fired across the can
yon at her fifteen times without apparent
ly doing her any serious injury, although
killed the cub at the third shot.
When the old bear finally discovered
that the cub was dead she made another
run, taking back up the mountain. Know
ing that she would have to pass along the
foot of a bare bluff, If she kept the trail
on which she had started, l hurried up
the canyon, thinking / might cut her off.
On coming to this open place, which was
on the opposite side of the canyon, instead
of passing it she came directly across to
me. could hear her grunting and smash
ing the brush, but could not locate her,
and she was within fifty feet of me before
saw her. She was wounded, but how
badly could not tell. 1 took three shots
in almost as many seconds-one at her
throat and two at her mighty chest-with-
out stopping her; then l turned to run.
Just as started, however, the dogs which
had been 'wooling' the cub, came up with
her and attacked her so furiously that
they got her started off in another direc-
ton. had left my horse where l had
dismounted below, and now returned for
him.
THE dogs ran about three miles around
the mountain and again stopped her. She
had, in the mean time, been Joined by the
other cub. When 1 came up with them
they were making a great racket in
clump of cedars so thick that / could not
see what they were doing. After waiting
little finally saw one of them moving
through a little gap in the brush. l fired,
and afterward found that 1 had the cub.
1t was enough to start them, however; so
with hard fight going on, and general
hurrah and believing, they ran up over
the bluff back of them with the dogs nip
ping them to a stand again. Following
on foot ] slipped quietly over the ridge,
and soon discovered them where they had
stopped in a little glade.
THE old bear was making furious
charges at the dogs, who were running in
on her from all sides. I got behind
clump of oak bushes and waited for a good
shot. In a little while she threw up her
head and looked directly toward me. She
was sight fearful to behold; her rough.
shaggy hide was wet with blood in half
dozen places; bloody froth hung in flakes
from her jaws, and her small wicked eyes,
which I could see plainly, glowed in her
great piggish face like Goals. The noise
she made was something between the
bawl of COW and the barking of an en-
ragged dog, and was enough to make a
mans blood run cold. If she could have
got at me I would have had no more show
for my life than would kitten with a
tiger. Although I have killed many bears,
l want to tell you right now that 1 always
fight shy of one that has been wounded.
When hurt they are as quick as a cat and
as vengeful as an Apache.
when she looked toward me, / took de-
lberate aim and fired, hoping to shoot her
through the shoulders, but she must have
moved slightly, for the ball struck her in
the corner of the jaw, passed through her
head, coming out under the left ear and
killed the cub, which was standing at her
side. The ball passed directly through it's
body, just back of the fore shoulders, drop
ping it In it's tracks. The old bear fell
also, and lay there believing and throw
ing the dirt for four or five minutes.
"She was not dead, though, and, getting
on her feet again, took after old Sheriff,
who ran directly toward me. took one
shot at her while they were still a little
distance off, and broke for the nearest
juniper tree. In my haste, and through
keeping an eye on the bear, tripped over
a rock and came down in a heap. didn't
but, leaping to my feet, hastily
swung myself into the lower
branches of the tree, which stood a few
feet from where / fell. None too soon,
either, for as l drew myself up into the
higher limbs the old demon, who was
right at my heels, reared up on her hind
legs and made swipe at my right foot
as threw it around. She didn't catch it
fairly. but she gave me a spat that nearly
ierked me to the ground.
''You may know that I lost no time in
getting to the top of that juniper Strange
as II may seem, she made no further effort
to get at me. After walking about the
tree several times. she finally sat down
She seemed dazed and almost blinded and
was evidently in great misery. l now call
| ed my dogs, and they took her off very
| slowly down the side of the mountain, but
stopped before they had gone two hundred
yards. They worried her at every step,
and I saw by her staggering and feeble
! gait that the end was near.
Getting down and hunting up my gun,
| / followed quietly. On getting near enough
I took another shot. striking her in the
flank. The ball passed through her hind
| quarters and came out at the point of the
right shoulder, dropping her dead in her
| tracks.
This" said MIR. Cooper "was the
| seventy-nfth bear l have killed in New
| Mexico. and the only one that ever made
me climb a tree. The old bear was a mon
ster. When she stood on her hind feet
she was fully eight and half feet high,
and she must have weighed at least nine
hundred pounds. She had nine bullet
| holes in her body.
1T was nearly o'clock when fired the
last shot, so l did not try to do anything
with the dead animals that evening, ex-
cept to cut out their tongues for my sup
per ana breakfast. The next day !
brought out a man TO help me- and took in
the skins. and as much of the meat as we
could pack on the burros."
WINDY WELL.