Smyrna times., 1900-12-05

great teeth, closed together within a
foot of my face and with a sound that |
made me think of a surgeon saving |
off legs. | had escaped, but my gun |
was caught in giants wise. | got up |
and tried to call old Potts names, but |
was so shaken and mad that not
word would come. He stood looking |
at me with puzzled and anxious ex-
preston on his face, as if wondering
what there was to break loose about,
and at last l grabbed up a club and
Jumped in on him. l believe that |
chased him fully mile before | gave
UP, but he kept out of my way. When
l finally sat down to rest, he came
sneaking back to say:
Colonel, they all said ye was queer
sort of a critter, but this last circus
beats my time. Mebbe yen tell me
what it's all aboutY'
And maybe I'll pump 16 bullets in
to you as soon as l get hold of my ri
fiev' l gasped. Potts, you ought to be
killed out of hand. 1t won't be murder
to wipe you off the face of the earth"
"Bekase of that bar trap?" he asked.
Eyes, of course. You knew where it
was and never said word to me. If
hadn't struck the chain with my foot,
I'd have walked right into it,"
"Yes, I'd sorter forgot bout that
trap" he mused as he scratched his
ear, "but it's all right, amt it? Ye
didn't walk into it, and can't see why
We should kick up sich a row. LOrdy,
but ye seem to be mighty pertickler
man.
1t was a bit Of job to get my rife
free of the jaws and l then dumped
the old trap into ravine and warned
Potts that if he showed his face in
camp I'd fusillade him. He waited
for two or three hours and then came
in with an injured expression on his
! face and started up the fire for supper.
BY that time | had got over my desire
| to shed his blood but l couldn't over
! look his careleSSneSs. We ate and
smoked and sat around in silence, and
next day would have seen the partner
ship dissolved for sure but for an in
cident of the night Soon after mid
night a grizzly came skulking around
and almost stampeded our mules, and
Potts showed his gameness by bluffing
the old fellow back into the thicket
without waiting for me. This broke
the ice and made us friends again and
it was agreed to give old Ephraim a
hard run for it next day. When morn
ing came, l had about taken old Potts
under my wing again and was secretly
glad that | hadn't reached him with
my club. As soon as breakfast was
dispatched we started out. The bear
had left tracks as big as house and
in going away had headed along the
mountain. We could reasonably hope
to hole him up somewhere within a
mile. provided he had satisfied his
hunger and got home in the due sea
son. When we finally came to likely
spot, l went to the right and Potts to
the left to investigate an opening in
the rocks. made a slow advance
realizing that the bear might be in
ambush behind any of the big bowl
ders, and was crOuching alongside OF
one, with neck stretched out. wher
there was n whiz and a spat, and
was blinded for a moment by particles
, of stone flung into my eyes. Potts wa
carrying a rife that day, and as it
bark followed the spat of the bullet
, knew what had happened. While
had my hands to my eyes | heard hin
shout at the top of his voice:
; "Hey, colonel. I've got him-got hin
q fur sure!'
Half a minute later he stood besid
, me, prepared to finish off the game.
, l think he was really surprised and per
q haps considerably disappointed whei
z he found a living man instead of
o dead grizzly, and he hadn't word t
, say. He sat down near me on a rocI
!, and it was five minutes before | ha
q my eyes cleared enough to make hir
o out. Then l brought up my Wfnches
!. ter and said:
!, Potts, I'm going to shoot 16 hole
n into your jackass carcass! Where d
4 you want the first one?"
. $50 it was We instead of a b'ar?" h
a queried in reply.
- at was, and you knew it was. YO
q meant to murder and rob me. you oil
>. villain! Talk fast, now, for you haven
4 got 60 seconds to live"
n but only mildly, "it was a mistake an.
% body might have made. and. bein y
=. wasn't hurt. don't see why We shoul
kick up Dan1. Fact is. colonel
a "Go on! Go on! You have 20 Sc
70 onds mOrer | said as he halted.
70 "Waal. the fact of it is I'm goin
y quit. | never was out with one of J
newspaper men before, and dang II
NJ hide If ever | want to be ag'in. I'll
a boys said We was a crank and a kick
W and that I'd soon cut my job, but
talked smooth and give orders fl
10 plenty of grub, and | was willn
~ take chances. Howsumever"-
re 'Howsumever what, you nearsigl
~ ed, squint eyed, dunderheaded p
ho hunterp
ve "HowsumeTer, colonel. the boys WI
or right, and, bein I can't do nuthin
n please ye, though have tried my be:
st l guess I'll resign. and ye kin run Il
alf circus yerself."
NO Next day we started the outfit {