Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-06-20
A Hurdle Race With 4 Grizzly.


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ussAbont The neassst | ever come
to gettin' permanently done up With
o bear was mp in the big timber in
the southwest Of Orgon, Z remarked
old Bill Ellis Isl allied hid attep-
ton to big gap in the track Of o
grizzly ws we're O. and asked il he
bsileved it possible 9 bear could
jump that far. "A man that thinks
q bear can't jump wants to tackle
one in o big windfall Of 0rgon piue
and Port Oxford cedar with trunks
eight to ten foot thick slung all
around helter-skelter like yer hair
after the old woman has persuaded
yon she vas right. l s8
"We had shot an elk there one
sSenin' on the head Of the Ooquille
River and it tumbled down Q steep
bank right into q tumble Of fallen
timber SO late IN the eyenin' there
was nothin' to do but camp right
there. About the middle of the
night Q fox terrier We had aleng
made racket enough to please any
one that likes lynn awake at night
to think how his neighbors must be
q cussin' and by the light that was
left of the fire L saw somethin'
black standin' over our meat. |
supposed 10 was one Of the common
black bear that are 90 plentiful in
that part of 0rgon and safe enough
to open mp on in any kind Of ground,
but at the crack of my rifle there
was Q squallin' that would curdle
the milk in an Arctic whale, and
in q half second the sparks Of the
camp fire was q fiyin' in all direc-
tions with a great big mess of fur
lumin' mp like woody elephant and
sailin' toward us like it had wings.
"There's nothin' more funny
than the say the crack of o rifle
will bring feller on his feet with
his. gun when you're ont. in camp,
and my two pards had their guns
to their shoulders almost as quick
as their feet hit the ground. Both
Of 'em blazed out almost at the
same time with the second shot from
mine and the big bundle Of black
wool that vasr rollin' toward us went
over in heap. Bat Che burned
heap was almost as high as it was
when in motion, and the notion
suddenly hit me that instead of
black bear We had q grizzly Of the
biggest caliber on hand. I was
sure Of it second later when the
bear scrambled to his feet and look
in bigger than ever come tearin'
straight for us.
'This talk about the speed of
thought 10 oil nonsense. It's moth
in alongside of leg logic. We had
good rifles. but our legs suddenly
found they could work faster, and
in tvinklin' mine was. Q hslpin'
me over Q big log, while my pard
Moore was wigglin' under another
that was too big to climb. Maybe
you've seen some Of these pious
pictares where Q pair Of pigeon
wings float Q two-huudred pound
angel. My pard FELTON, reminded
me Of one of 'em His legs was 80
stnbby be would hare to climb on
Q brickbst to kick . toad, but the
way he punched . hole in the outer
gloom discouraged that bear 80
much he centered his talents on
me. No kind Of ground bothers q
grizzly, and uphill or down or
alongside of il, over logs or under
'em he can trot. pace. gallop. roll,
tumble or waller faster than any
other combination Of legs and fur.
I'D soon be closed ont il he hadn't
stopped at our beddin' that lay right
in his track. The efippin' and tear
in of our blankets drowned the
crackin' Of brush he was Q asmashin'
through, but knew that shoddy
factory would soon have to close
down from over-production and
somethin' else would have to be
done perty immeejetly. But / knew
that il ! opened ere on the bear
again il you'd be sure &c, draw his
Gre On me, and I thsaght I vould
give my friends . show to get some
game and not hog it ell myself.
But none OF the rest Of 'em shot
either, and it vas burned singlar
how the next day We all KEEP still
about this instead of askin' Why
the other didn't shoot.
"Abont the same time l was bang
up against log too high to climb,