The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-25

Of life 6ows Justify and who Joy in the
strenuous pleasure that comes only as
the prize Of toll and exposure"
The book Is full Of tales Of the .stren.
nous pleasure" that has rewarded the
president for his toll and exposure.
tales that are well calculated to thrill
the strenuous crowned sportsman 10
whom the book is sent.
= There are incidents Of snow goose
shooting. where the president Of this
republic crawls on his hands and knees
through the tortuous dry bed of a
stream to get a shot at q pompous
gander. and he gets 1t. There are nc.
counts Of cougar hunting with blood
hounds. Of deer and grouse shooting, Of
the buffalo chase. of the wonderful
craftsmanship Of picturesquely uncivi.
lied cowboys. One Of them shoots the
head Off u chicken with a rife at eighty
yards.
And when It comes to that noblest Of
all big game hunting. the American
grizzly bear. the emperor may read this
personal anecdote in which the presi.
dent and a Rocky mountain grizzly
played the leading parts. 1t is con.
tanned In the last chapter Of ''Big Game
Hunting" After tei,ing how he was
riding home over the plains after a dis
agreeable incident with a drunken trap.
per Mr.. Roosevelt says:
Immediately caught the loom Of
some large. dark object, and another
gIance showed me a big grizzly walk.
Ing slowly off with his head down. He
was qunrteTing to me. and | fired into
bis flank. the bullet. us 1 nfterward
found. ranging forward and piercing
one lung. At the shot he uttered a
loud. moaning grunt and plunged for.
ward a, a heavy gaIlop. while l ran
obliquely down the hill to U him OF.
"After going a few hundred feet be
reached u laurel thicket, some thirty
yards broad and two or three times az
long. which be did not leave. ran up
to the edge and there halted. not liking
to venture into the mass Of twisted,
close growing stems and foliage. More.
over, as I halted l heard him utter a
peculiar savage kind of whine from
the heart Of the brush. Accordingly !
began te skirt the edge, standing oil
tiptoe n gazing earnestly to see II ]
could not catch a glimpse of his hide.
when I was at the narrowest part
Of the thicket, he suddenly left In n d.
rectly opposite. direction and then
wheedled and stood broadside TO me on
the hillside, a little above. He turned
his head stifly toward me. Scarlet
strings of foam hung from his lips; his
eyes burned like embers in the gloom.
II held true, aiming behind the shout.
der, and my bullet shattered the point
or lower end Of his heart, taking out a
big nick. Instantly the great bear
turned with a harsh oar of fury and
challenge, blowing the bloody foam
from his mouth. SO that l saw the
CLEAN of white fangs, and then he
charged straight at me. crashing and
bounding through the laurel bushes. so
that 1t was hard to aim.
~ waited until he came to a fallen
tree, raking him as lie topped it with
a ball which entered his chest and
went through the cavity OF his body,
but he neither swerved nor finched.
and at the moment ! did not know that
I had struck him. lie In steadily
on and in another second was alAlost
upon me. | fred for his forehead. but
my bullet went low, entering his open
mouth. smashing his lower jaw and
going into the neck.
II leaped to one, side almost as !
pulled the trigger, and through the
hanging smoke the first thing ! saw was
his paw as he made n vicious side blow
at me. The rush Of his charge carried
him past. AS he struck he lurched
forward. leaving a pool of bright blood
where his muzzle hit the ground, but
he recovered. and l hurriedly damned
q couple of cartridges into the maya.
zine, my rife holding only four. all of
which I had fired. Then he tried to
pull up, but as he did SO his muscles
seemed suddenly to give way, his head
dropped. and he rolled over and over,
like q shot rabbit.
"Each Of my first three bullets had
inflicted a mortal wound"
First Publication April 25, 1902