The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-14


is also found. He is not so savage as the
grizzly, nor so timid as the black, but he
usually gets out of the way unless wound
ed and cornered But the Alaskan griz-
ely is curious. and is apt to overhaul and
damage any man crossing its path. On
Quartz creek, Indian river. last winter,
the torn and mangled remains of a man
We're found near the carcass of a bear.
One of the mans arms was torn from the
body. The bear had seven bullets from
a modern rifle in 1t.
After coming from the den IN the spring
the bear seeks the lowlands for a time,
digging up the soil for juicy shoots and
roots. From July to Octoper one is apt
to happen upon him anywhere on the
ridges, clawing berries into his mouth
and looking fat and jolly.
Wild goats and white bighorn sheep are
quite abundant all over Alaska where
the mountains are high and craggy.
Ware Of Brer Wolf" is their watch
word, and cliffs are their only protec-
ton. 1t is estimated that fully thirty
have been killed In the course of last sea-
son within three to six miles of the Yu-
kon on one tributary appropriately called
"Sheep creek" 1870 miles below Dawson.
Nearly every hunting party there gets a
shot at one.
1t was on Sheep creek that one party
last fall lost three moose after having
packed the meat to the river. They failed
to properly cache 1t. and the wolves left
bone or two and a scrap of skin.
Wolves will rarely touch slain animal
straight away; they will watch 1t for a
day or longer. and If the hunter has tied
his handkerchief to leg they will wait
perhaps several days before venturing to
pounce. upon 1t.
The greatest difficulty connected with
hunting is getting home the meat One
usually finds his game at long distance
from home, and the question of pack
ing out a whole moose can usually only
be settled by inviting everybody from
the neighboring creeks to take pack, all
lowing them to keep half or two-thirds of
all they choose to carry. This is where the
hoggishness or generosity of the hunter is
usually displayed. Somehow 1t has al
ways been a recognized custom among
Western hunters to grve away generous
portions of their kill. In Alaska men are
more selfsh-the meat is too precious;
it is often the inadequate wages of labor
unspeakable, and the lazy Yulkoner who
sits in his cabin the long winter through
and makes unpleasant remarks because
his energetic neighbor VINO gets game
failed to bring him more than a mess Is
entitled to no sympathy.
The practice of giving a liberal share
to all who will help PACK Is popular
with everybody, but woe to the hunter
who fails to be generous to those who
help him. If he is one or party who
have CHANGED to meet and hunt together
he is supposed to divide his kill equally
with all, and they are supposed to do the
bulk of the pack. The killer is entitled
to the hide and head and the choice of the
divided portions.
In one of the leading Yukon settle
ments below Dawson last winter a man
made himself exceedingly unpopular with
all his acquaintances by failing to recog-
nize this tacitly understood principle He
was one of hunting party of four and
Killed moose. The rest of the party
helped pack the carcass to the settlement
and waited for the division. Each, of
course, expected a quarter, and the
friends of each looked for little portions
of the quarter. which portions might in
turn be divided among friends of the
friends. The killer gave a mess to
each of his three hunting partners and
offered the rest for sale. He was avoid
ed and scarcely spoken to the rest of the
winter. Such matters are no trifles in
Alaska.
A spirit of another Kind was that of
Seventy Miller. who shot a caribou up
creek and started to pack 1t home. He
stopped at every cabin along the way. In
one was an old man with scurvy. He
left quarter there. At another We're a
couple of friends who had done him
some slight favor Another quarter was
left there. He could not pass a cabin
without going in to enjoy the luxury of
giving. Finally when he reached the
post he hadn't pound left. The same
man had the bad habit of feeding other
peoples dogs when he saw they were
starving. He had a net. and in summer
was prone to giving away fine salmon
to any acquaintance who happened along.
He did ii because he liked to. He is a
big, rough Swede, and he is known as
Generous Bill of Seventy-Mile.