The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-12-16

| them, leaving a great hole reaching far
| back into the earth.
rms hole had been enlarged by some
animal and now formed, as l afterwards
found out, the winter retreat of a bear.
Boylke, L began to investigate the place,
thinking that perhaps rabbit had run
In there, and that by a little work I
| might get him out. l had never killed
rabbit and was, of course, all the more
eager on this account.
Dragged Into the Den.
Suddenly hoarse growl sounded in
my ears, and was seized and dra gged
deep into the hole. Far back my captor
carried me, until it seemed as if l were
| mile from the outside world. At first
I did not realize that bear had me,
being almost too badly scared to think
of anything.
When l awoke to a realization of my
pOsitiOn-in a cave with bear. that
was probably very hungry after long
fast, and very angry after having his
winter slumber disturbed almost lost
my senses.
Little by little regained my GOODNESS,
as the animal manifested no disposition
to do me harm, and in half an hour, as
near as I could judge. l was as calm
as before starting out on my hunting
trip in the morning.
AS my eyes grew accustomed to the
darkness of the cave | saw that 1 was
in the winter quarters of bear, and
a big fellow he was. too. One of his
paws was broken. and it gradually
dawned upon me that he was the same
fellow who had robbed Ruggles' pig pen
and had been shot by the farmers.
Small Boy a Curiosity.
Instead of making a meal of me, the
bear seemed to regard me as some sort
of a curiosity. Ee ran his cold nose
up and down my face a dozen times, and
his coarse. hot tongue sent cold shivers
chasing down my spine as he licked my
| face.
The night came and passed in this
| manner, and still bruin manifested no
| disposition to eat me. He was hardly
fully awake yet, I thought, and I Won
| dered what he would do when all his
senses became active.
In the early morning the animal be-
came sleepy again, and, throwing one of
his enormous fore paws over me, dragged
me down by his side. His regular breath
ing indicated that he was asleep, but I
soon found, on making a slight move
ment in an endeavor to get away from
grasp of his paws, that he was very
wide awake.
At the first motion on my part he
opened his small red eyes and leered in
a manner not at all comforting to me,
and which made me wish l was safe
at home with my mother.
Loses His Courage.
AS I thought of my parents and my
brothers and sisters ] lost courage: tears
rolled down my face in streams and I
sobbed as if my little heart were about
to break.
Hour after hour passed away and still
the old bear kept close watch upon me.
Try as l would, l could not keep warm,
and although the den was as comfOrta BILE
and warm as our cosy sitting room at
home, I shook and shivered as if with
the ague.
At last. we'll toward evening. 1 heard
shouting in the distance. The men were
evidently coming nearer and nearer, for
the shouting and calling grew louder
and louder, and soon l heard my name
spoken.
The bear also heard the noise made
by the searchers, and, raising his head,
looked inquiringly at the entrance to
the den and then down into my face.
Had 1 not been so badly frightened I
could have laughed at the comical APP
pearance of the old fellow, as he put
his head on one side and cooked his ears
forwar-. in a knowing way
Odor of Burning Sugar.
Soon the odor of burning sugar
reached my nostrils-the searching party
had decided that 1 was in the bears
den and had determined to bring the
animal out by appealing to his appetite,
for it is we'll known that the smell of
burning sugar will almost bring a bear
back from his grave, fond is the
clumsy animal of the saccharine SUBJ
stance.
AS the odor became more pungent the
bear grew uneasy and seemed to hest
tate between eating NE and going out
to inve ;tigate. This hesitation proved
his ruin.
He slowly shook his great head from
side to side for a moment, smacked his
lis as if already enjoying the sugar
which he smelled, and them leaving me,
started for the entrance.
He had not been gone more than
minute before the sharp crack of heavy
rifle rang out, and then followed a ter
rifying scrambling at the mouth of the
den.
In the dim light could see the bear,
blood pouring in streams from a ragged
hole in his neck. where the big bullet
from the old smoothbore rifle struck
him.
Rapidly Growing Weak.
Bruin made a desperate effort to reach
me, but he was rapidly growing weak
from the loss of blood and as he APP
preached he staggered and swayed like
a drunken man.