Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-06-28
Rode Astride a Big Bear
None Ever Knew Whether Steed or Rider
Was Worse Scared.
IND YOU ever ride bear?' asked

LID 1OU ever rue Dear dSheu
II Bill Ellis one night as we sat
down at the camp fire after hunting
all day.
mo, suppose not" he continued
without waiting for me to reply. 'Lots
of folk haven't. In fact, I'm the only
Teller ever heard of that ever did. All
the ridin' is generally the other way.
Bear seldom carry outside passengers.
But Old Clubfoot packed me one day in
great shape. That old sarpent used to
range these hills and if there was any
thing he liked it was lead. He was
regular travelin' lead mine. He was so
dangerous l never hankcred after his
pelt. but one day nearly ran over, HIM
and he came for me, so that there was
nothin' to do but shoot. l fed him
some lead right in the gizzard and all
he done was to gulp as if it was good,
and come right on with his mouth
wide open for some more. accommo-
dated him right in the mouth. too. but
one of his big white teeth flew into
splinters that whizzed up into the air.
I had Sharp's rifle and just as went
to load it again the cartridge stuck in
the chamber and I couldn't shut it..
Disappointment seemed to make the
old cuss only the madden and on he
came, bent for full breakfast.
II suppose you'd have perspired, as
they say in polite talk. I didn't have
time to get pore open. for luck was
on my side and was only a few yards
from live oak. was young and pref
ty quick and swung myself in jiffy
onto big limb. felt a rip in my pants
as whirled over and. after gettin'
we'll out of reach, felt there and there
was three or four Sits six inches long
where his claws had just missed by cas-
in. You may laugh all you please about
folks that work with the seat of their
pants. but if it hadn't been for the dry
goods boxes down at the country store
you wouldn't be entertainin' me with
your ear tonight.
81 crawled along to the trunk of the
tree and began to wonder how was to
get the rifle up. Old Clubfoot was
there with his big paws clawin' down
bark only two feet from my toes and
tryin' to get up. His breath felt like
the steam of locomotive and his eyes
would almost have done for head
light, he was so mad. I had seen mad
bear before, when they had foot
caught in trap but never saw such
ragin' fury as this old scamp had when
he found l was just beyond his reach
and the trunk of that tree too straight
and smooth for him to climb.
"Just as began to think of Sunday
school hymn suitable for saved sin
ner, 1 felt bite Then there was an
other and another and somethin' crawl
in up my sleeve and on my neck and up
my ankles and more bites by the Sec
ond. with the smell of ants gettin'
mighty powerful. Then you bet did
perspire in no time. Did you ever try
an ant bite? How many bites from one
of the big red or black ants do you
suppose it would take to kill man I?
And how long do you suppose it would
take? A horse stung by enough bees
is dead before any pisen can possibly
reach his vitals. A man dropped in
bilin' water would be dead before any
heat could ever reach his innards. It's
the shock to the nerves what does the
business, and before the fifth bite was
we'll in my nerves was gettin' terrible
shook up. Then / saw the tree was
full of 'em and lines of hundreds of big
red ants runnin' up the trunk. No use
to mash 'em, for hundred'll come to
the funeral of everyone you mash. 1t
wasn't half minute before some still
small voice inside whispered that I
would have to get out of that tree. for
and with more sufferin' probably than
1 was likely to get at the hands of the
bear.
YOU'D been mighty smart and
slipped down the tree on the opposite
side from the bear. wouldn't you?
That shows what you know about
bear. You can have 80 feet start ana
he'll climb your back stairs,~in Just
1A seconds. I wasn't that Shriety of
squash. It was over 200 yards to the
next tree and that was Vow one,
where he might claw me down even
If l was lucky enough to reach it. A
grizzly standin' on his hind legs is
mighty high and his burned claws add
another foot onto his long arms, and
when he stretches them out you've
no idea how they reach. All he's got
TODD is to get one hook into your meat
and you're his'n. There was only one