The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-02

Ample numbers are our greatest
! need and the decision 60 send out the
cleared up in front of her, but in the
meantime the drove had been tearing
fur and flesh to ribbons on her side
and back. AS soon as a space was
cleared in front the old grizzly
changed her tactics, and, shaking off
the peccaries as if they had been
clinging insects, rose up on her hind
legs. She had peccary in her paws
as she went up, but after one squeeze
it was a dead peccary. Then the
again, gave a bound, was clear of her
enemies, and started off on a clumsy,
but rapid gallop for the place where
her cubs had met their deaths.
Il thought the old bear was trying TO
escape, and, while l haven't much love
for grizzlies l wished the old lady good
luck because of the pluclly fight she
had put up. But 1 misunderstood the
workings of her mind. Love for her
cubs had first led her to fight and it
was lingering hope that she might in
some way aid her offsprings that caused
her desperate attempt to shake herself
free from the drove. Up the little hill
she galloped until she reached the place
where the cubs had met their fate. Only
splashes of blood and little bits of fur
and flesh were left of the fat cubs. who
had been the pride of the fierce old
mothers heart. the grizzly knew that
the scattered bits of fur were the re-
mains of her pets, and paying no at
tention to the fast following peccarieS
nosed about and smelt of the pieces.
Then she felt that her last hope was
gone, and giving a grOwl, which was
good deal of groan, again faced the
foe.
1.-THE peccaries were looking for bat
tie; so was the bear. AS the drove APP
preached the bear rose upon her hind
feet and then, as the line of vicious pigs
reached her, dropped down. She caught
peccary under each of her front paws
as she fell and grabbed another in her
hSg jaws, That accounted for three of
her enemies. Then the peccaries came
swarming over her ripping and gnash-
ing and trying to pull her down. The
grizzly wasn't idle for the tenth of a
second, but swung her big front paws
right and left and grabbing the pee
carries in vice-like jaws, shook them as
dog does a rat and tossed them over
the heads of the drove to lie twisting
and dying on the outskirts of the big
fight.
The Death Struggle.
tiifAS SAlHIly liell DCSll llS5 ling
with her back against a rock / think /
she would have won the fight, although |
all hunters say no single animal can |
stand against a drove of wild pigs. But /
while she was rendering an account OF I
the peccaries in front those at the I
sides and rear were tearing her so that |
the blood was running in streams from !
dozens of wounds. When the grizzly /
had cleared a space in front she whirled |
around and went for those who had |
been harassing her on the rear end /
sides. She made things hum in that |
direction. Every time she got a grip
on peccary with her jaw that peccary
was as good as dead and each blow i
from her big paws went a long way
towards accomplishing the same result.
The pigs were fighters, too. Several
times 1 saw a peccary, who had evil
IDENTIFY been wounded to the death.
crawl up nearer the bear in order 10
give final dig with his tusks before
he ended his last fight.
'tAll of a sudden three or four big
peccaries happened to spring at the
grizzly from the same side a the same
instant. The old fighter was evidently
weakened by loss of blood. for she
staggered and fell over. The enemy
thought she was done for and in thew
rushed. They didn't appreciate the
staying powers of the bear Two or
three were gathered in a deadly hug in
her front paws, her hind legs ripped
open their skins as if tearing gloves
and her jaws went through skin. flesh
and bone whenever she fastened them
IN one of her enemies. The grizzly was
making desperate rally, and While
IN her back seemed better able to brina.
nto play her superb fighting qualities
All l could see for the next few seconds
Vas confused mass of grunting. rag
ng peccaries, with glimpses underneat tn
If fighting bundle OF blood stained :
brown fur. with teeth and claws work.
ng at their utmost capacity Then pee
AIRY after peccary rolled out of the
light, some with broken backs, others
With heads smashed like egg shells. and ..
till others with long disembowelinC f,
Wounds where the grizzly's razor-lfke
laws had slasned their way. ,
There was a last heave, the strug-
Cling mass began to part, and the r
Dig, grizzly, one mass of blood and :
lirt and wounds, struggled to her feet. !
disposed of two or three of the more !
)ertinacious of her enemies by slash | !
ng blows with her front paws, and for !
he second time in the fight was free. q
AT first ] thought the fight was +
,ver and that the grizzly had done a r
hing absolutely unheard of in hunt !
ng annals-gone against drove of 7
.eccaries and come out alive. More r
han half the drove had fallen and of y
hose left alive many were torn and =
leeding. Peccaries have the reputa- :
ion of never giving up a fight while q
ne Of the drove is alive but these h
articular pigs acted as if they had had
nOugh for one day. If the old bear f.
al not been weakened by loss of :