River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-12-01


Gentlemen, Ole Ephr'am is near by, e
declared the guide. we shall ketch up
with him mighty sudden. If the
ground allows l want We sh'd spread
out. one on each side o. me-thatll con-
fuse him-an' jest pump lead for all
ye're with. That's the only way ter
kill grizzly-load him down with so
much lead I he can't carry it,"
The trail, plain and broad, took the
party along the edge of the scrub and
at length turned up a broad-mounted
gully in the hillside. The gully was
heavily wooded and rapidly narrowed
as they pressed on.
"a bad place" muttered Hank, and
he led the way all too slowly for the
impatient young officers.
hurry up, Hank!" begged Lieut..
Chester. Wen never bag the brute. .
"Wa-al, eff we hurry he's likely to
bag us" responded the guide, drawl-
ingly. Thar! Dye see that?"
"What?"
THAT bush moved! He's behind that
windfall-sure's shootin'. l kalkerlate
he's got his eye on us, too"
''What'll we do-crawl up behind
him?"
Crawl up-nothin!" returned the
guide. 'Neyer see the man yet could
crawl up behind n grizzly on the watch.
Keep still an walk right on as though
we didn't notice nothin'. Then, when
he springs out. let drive"
''But that's dangerous." gasped Ches-
ter.
"Of course it is. | told you fellows
to keep out of it. It's the only way to
kill grizzly. Ye can't stalk one"
They did not stop walking while this
conversation was in progress and in a
moment were almost abreast of the
windfall.
Now" Kissed Hank.
As though at his word there was a
crash in the brush and the grizzly burst
through! The instant he was over the
windfall the beast stood up and the
faces of the young officers blanched
when they saw its proportions. 1t was
head and shoulders taller above Bor-
rows, and he was no pygmy.
The name of rusty fur along the crea-
lures neck stood up stiffly; his little
pig-like eyes snapped savagely and
the foam few from his open mouth.
With a roar that shook the rocky hill
sides the grizzly approached, beating
the air like the arms of windmill with
his huge paws.
The instant he appeared Hank be-
gan to fire. His heavy rifle spit fire
almost continuously, and the thud of
the bullets as they struck the grizzly S
body was plainly audible. The guide
had fired six or seven times before
either of his companions got their
weapons unlimbered.
The great brute could not withstand
the storm of bullets for long. His
mouth fairly spouted blood, showing
that his lungs had been perforated, and
glaring patches of gore appeared upon
his breast. A bullet from Hanks rife
finally found the brain through the eye
and the grizzly fell dead.
Both the officers were woefully con
fused, even when it was all over; but
Hank had killed grizzly before. Still,
he admitted that it was by far the
largest he had ever seen. While they
were examining their prize and talking
it over snow began to fall. 1t was now
mid-aftcrnoon and they were ten miles
from camp.
Were goin ter ketch it, gentlemen -
said Hank. cooking his eye. There's
hard storm comm. Do you take the
back track, pick up II haunch of that
venison Ole Ephr'am didn't care for
reckon the wolves haven't got ii yet
an make camp, I'll strip this yere pelt
off, for if signs don't fail and the
SHOWS deep, the wolves will tear this
critter all ter pieces before we can get
back here. I'll likely overtake you be-
fore you reach the lean-to."
with that heavy skin?" demanded
the lieutenant.
Il reckon. It'll have to snow pretty
hard to beat me"
But it did snow, hard-harder and
faster than he had often seen it. Be
fore he had the grizzly half tiayed the
snow was heaping around him faster
than he could trampit down. His com
panons would be ut the river ere this
and all they had to do was to follow
the stream down to the lean-to. He
could trust Capt. Langdon, who had
been hunting with him before. to get
to camp all right with his brother Off
GER; so he had no anxiety on their ac-
count.
1t grew colder with the suddenness
common only to the blizzard" The
snow cut like sleet and the wind
whipped the trees spitefully. Hank
hung doggedly to his job. When he IN
dertook to turn the huge body of the
bear over. however, he found it too
great for even his giant strength. He
had his camp Ratchet in his belt, and
fighting his way across the gully in the
very teeth of the wind, managed TO Top
off sapling that had been borne
down by the accumulation of snow
With this he struggled back to the
bear and pried il over. He had began
TO see now how foolhardy he had been
to remain to skin the bear. The biz
card in all its fury was upon him and
he was at Il bad pass. He could not
see three yards before him.
But though he could not see, his
acute ear caught sound rising above
the shrek of the gale 1t was a long
drawn. human-like howl-the clan cry
Of the gray timber wolf of the Rockies.
Cold or tempest could not quench their
savage appetites and they were gath
eriug to The feast like ormdemons.
4 less experienced man than the old
WAGNER might have moderated his
danger. Many man has judged the
timber VOLTS temper by that of his
cousin. the kiote. and bitterly has he
paid for his mistake The kiote is a
coward: the timber wolf knows not
what fear is. Had he the strength com
mensurate with his savageness the
mountain lion-even the grizzly itself
would scarcely be his master.
Hank realized that he had but little
time 10 live. If he should start for
camp now the wolves might remain &c
sup upon his dead grizzly; but they
might follow him! There was consid-
cradle doubt. besides, whether he would
ever reach camp, The cold was an
tense. ana his body was fast growing
beuumbed. He could not long hesitate
Selling his hatchet again. he split