The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-10-13
NASTY TIMES WITH OLD BRUIN.
The Silver Tip is Mean Customer
But the Grizzly Has Few Parlor
Tricks

The Silver Tip is a Mean Customer,
| But the Grizzly Has Few Parlor
Tricks,
Speaking of bear" said the mining
expert. as he lit cigar and leaned
back comfortably in the corner OF the
smoker, there's nothing nastier TO
meet out than an old dirty-faced silver
tip. He's a cross between a grizzly
and a brown, and, like crosses general
ly, he inherits all the meaness of both
sides of the family. Old dirty face is
always ugly about something, and he
goes around fairly spelling for a fight
ANY one ever meet him? Well. ]
had scrap with one out in the Buffalo
Hump country last year, and l shant
forget it in a hurry. | was out there
looking for some mines, and one day l
took little stroll all along to see what
/ could find. We were right in the
midst of the big mountains, 100 miles
from anywhere, and the finest game
country on the continent. Bear and
deer and goats-you took your choice
without any trouble at all. [ had my
Springfield with me, although l wasn't
caring for game just then. But some
times game hunts you, and then you've
got TO fight, Glib or run.
along toward evening, as I was
starting back for camp. ] heard some
thing following on my trail, and look
ing back | saw Mr.. Dirty Face amb-
ling along a couple of hundred yards
behind me, and taking more interest
In me than / liked. 1 didn't need any
bear particularly, as there were no
good trees handily, only few dead
ones that didn't count.
I'm the canyon below me was good
sized stream, and | made for that,
thinking / could thow the bear off down
by the water. When I came to the
bank found a mountain torrent thirty
or forty yards wide and deep and ugly
looking. | skirted up the bank pretty
fast for some time, and then [ saw a
rock well out from the shore that I
thought I could reach. I rounded
big bowder, struck in above and by
hard work reached the rock all right
I didn't believe Mr. Bear would tack
le me there but there he was where I
didn't know him. RICH up my trail he
went, rounded the bowlder, shifted once
or twice, sighted me on the rock and
struck in.
He had to swim, and the current
was so swift that he missed the rock
few yards and so gave me a good shot. |
I let him have the best I had and I |
made him kick, but he reached the |
shore all right, and now his dander was
up in earnest. | plugged at him again, |
but it didn't seem to count, On he came |
higher UP this time, and sighted better
for the rock. | waited for him, and |
when he heaved his big, ugly paws on
my rock I let him have it in the throat, |
and that fixed him. He swept BY fair
y making the water foam. It's the
last time, gentlemen, that I want to be !
freed on rock by bald-faced bear"
IT'S funny" said the doctor, clean
cut, well-knit specimen of fine physical
whose clear gray eyes and
square jam betokened plenty of grit;
It's funny how your first grizzly takes
he nerve out of you. Two or three
years ago I went hunting with q friend
n Colorado. I had killed some big
game myself, and I knew that he had
1illed plenty of it, But neither of us
lad killed a grizzly, and we were each
Eager for the first chance.
"Onc day, when 7 happened to be out
alone, as I came through clump Of
what should run plump
lp against but a big grizzly busily en-
,loyed in roofing around in the dirt af-
er food.
He hadn't winded me, and there I
tood just screened by the quaking-asp
Utmost near enough to touch him with
ny gun, while he went on roofing, ut
erly unconscious of my presence.
Now or never 1 thought, as I
'rought my gun to my shoulder and
arefully sighted for his head Then
he sights began to wabble and an
que seemed to seize the gun. I stead
ed myself, looked around for a conven-
ant tree, and tried again, this time for