The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-18

| Your powers q a runner, and don't form
a hasty judgment from Appearances as
! to the bears powers. He isn't at all
1.-THE or elegant or graceful il his move
ments, and that is where the real danger
lies You may be tempted to despise his
I ciumsiness. IN action he behaves not a
little like a stout woman running after a
/ street car; he doesn't seem TO be getting
/ ahead very much. But he can keep I'D
| that rocking horse gait for a hundred
years without stopping Pretty soon you
4 viii be painting Tor your second wind. but
/ he has his second wind before he starts.
have had only one personal encounter
/ with the great big bear; but that was
+ enough 10 DO me. It was out in the Green
river. country. near the Idaho line. eight
years ago. had been fooling around
through the hills, hunting IN a promis-
! cuous sort of way. without accomplishing
very much. and was getting rather tired
! Of il But the summer weather was
beautiful. and there was plenty OF good
1 fishing; 50 our party stayed OF.
! One afternoon 1 went or lsy myself
+ amongst the hills. carrying pouch con
Z tanning a biologists hammer. some good
! bacon sandwiches ana Z couple of books
! Arms / left behind. not meaning TO SO
{ far. and feeling quite sure would see
+ no game. Toward :he end OF the day
sat down on big aat stone to eat and
I smoke and read for a while before Strik-
/ ing toward camp. Suddenly there came
/ shadow about me. I thought II must BE
I cIouding up But when I looked around
/ discovered that the shadow was made
by a huge. live. hairy thing standing on
the rocks above me knew what IL was.
I had read a great deal about the grizzly
and was prepared for something out Of
the ordinary; but this was little too
much. Re was only about dozen yards
away. standing on his hind legs. and
seeming to rise a good eighteen feet IN
the clear. lie wasn't doing anything
just standing there and looking down up
on me.
felt very much out of place-felt as
though 1 ought to apologize for being
there; but l couldn't think OF the proper
formula There were signs upon him. in
his stained jowl and rotund belly, show
ing that he had already dined; but how
could l tell what his ideas might be
about dessert? 1t was very creepy feel
Ing. I didn't want him TO know that I
was afraid. and really | was too thor
oughIy scared 10 be badly frightened. L
got TO my feet with the most careless air
I could assume and began to walk away.
He was a most hospitable bear. Don't
co. he said in voice ike the rumbling
of a coming s5orm-and a storm not very
far away Really. l must" l told him.
They'll be getting anxious about me.
II would please me to think that any one
else was ever as anxious about me as |
was Just az that moment about myself.
The grizzly seemed to argue the matter
He dropped upon all fours and started to
come down. I ran,
ran and ranch miles. A hasty glance
backward showed the bear coming lum-
bering along twenty-five yards in my
rear. He wasn't hurrying, for he knew
as well as I did that there was plenty OF
time for overtaking me. / hurried all
knew how. but it seemed to co no good;
run as / would. that clumsy, rolling lope
of his kept him just Twenty-Five yards
away: no more and no less. IT was
dreadfully trying IL he means TO catch
me" 1 thought once. why doesn't he get
a move on and have it over within Then
7 determined inexorably that never again
would 1 risk meeting with any wild
beast so utterly devoid of sense Of
humor l know ] must have looked very
funny from behind; any other animal
would surely have stopped while to
laugh. and thus given me little more
show But this old sober sides never
cracked a smile. He only Hoped.
Pretty soon | made up my mind that he
wasn't playing fair. My wind gave out;
my straining lungs could get no moro
than scant teacupfuI at time, the
bear evidently using up the whole atmos- /
phere himself. one is apt to think erratic I
thoughts in those moments of emotional |
crisis. began 70 lose all interest in the |
race. The blood pounded in my ears, and /
the view took on a crimson hue and grew I
blurred in its details. I had been keeping I
an anxious lookout for place of safety. /
but there was none What's the use?'
thought. and was about ready to lie I
down and fold my hands. l could run no +
more Thcn- as I came to q turn in the I
course of my flight, five or six rods ahead /
beheld a tree I did run some more. I
took the tree in my arms and Rugged it /
to my breast. not forgetting TO use my 4
legs little.
II was n pine. and not a very big one. /
crooked. gnarIed and only half alive; but [
it was the lovellest thing I ever looked /
upon out Of doors. ] had just time 10
get into the branches before the grizzly 4
arrived at the foot ana raised himself Oh
his launches. reaching for me. He never
Touched me. He took hold CT the poor lit
lie tree and shook it savageiy. roaring
with disanpointuert
The bear seemed 10 understand the sit
uation perfectly: his pig-nke eyes snapped !
with green FIRE. and he shouted his rage
To the whole country side in 8 hooming
bass solo. But presently he grew saner
and Iaid himself dowa AZ the foot ~ che
tree 20 wait suppose he thought I'd
come down Ply end by. tie showed q com
mendable patience Ire sun went down
and twilight thickcnsl into darkness but
stHI he waited. nov and then rubbing his
great body against the tree and making
il rock as in a high wind. I had grown
reconciled 70 uisIft q t. when rasau
bunch OF antelope appeared % the hillside
above Us and then the besr abandoned his
vigil and went awav.-webb }vshsier in
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