Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-08
Fight with n Grizzly Bear.

&ana, says a writer in the Anaconda
Standard, The half Of them would
OH a large volume, but / will give one
as Il was told to me. 1t is one relating
an experience that he had in the early
days in the Highwood Mountains. 1
give II here in the words OF Mr.. Harris,
as nearly as can remember them.
Those who know Mr.. Harris will
realize that any version told apart from
the magnetic personality OF the mar
ratOr must lose much Of its charm,
for he is one Of those men whom other
nen like to please and dislike 10 dis
Obey-that when he speaks upon any
subject, others stop and listen.
''It was in the fan OF 'T5 when
Johnnie CaTruthers, a young fellow
named Shaw and myself were hunting
deer and elk for their skins. We got
81 for a deer skin aud about S5 for an
elk hide. Besides being royal sport
there was just enough danger from
the Indians in it to add zest, and then
we made good wages.
I'VE We're encamped on McDOnalds
Greek, where Merrilrs ranch is now,
and early one afternoon l started out
toward the mountains on horseback.
approached a canyon in the noun
Iains having very steep sides. whose
mouth opened upon a wide, marshy,
dat covered with willow clumps.
AS l drew near the mouth of the
canyon l saw n huge grizzly roofing
hn p1n
busy turning over the fiat rocks that
he did not notice my approach. | dis
mounted behind a bunch of willows
and tied my horse with a sixty-fOot
saddle rope in order that she might
have a chance to eat little grass dur
ing my absence
taking my rife, then advanced
until was directly under the bear.
was in the bottom Of the canyon and
1 knelt down and fired at his heart.
The bear dropped fat and then com
menced rolling toward me down the
mountain side. Every foot increased
the velocity with which he came tear
ing down over the rocks. AS he was
coming directly toward me 1 stepped
up on the opposite slopea few feet TO
avoid being crushed He landed in the
bottom of the ravine in a confused
heap, and before l had time to think
he rose upon his hind feet directly in
front Of me. and, snarling and grOwl-
ing, he raised his huge fOrearms
straight in the air and glared at me.
my fright was such that swung
my gun around and fired without aim.
In fact, the bullet went so wide of his
head that it broke his wrist which was
at least n foot away. Immediately he
sprang at me, growing horribly.
my feet were eneased in moccasins
and l was able to run in those days
like a Whitehall deer.
II had run seventy-fve yards down
the side Of the canyon to its mouth,
and every leap the beast made he slid
almost to my feet When, however we
reached the fiat, he being handicapped
by his broken foot. 1 easily Outdis-
tanced him. 1 think that in the $50
yards across the marsh l beat him ar
least twenty-five.
STARTLED by the two shots and by
the grOwls and running Of the bear my
horse had come toward me as far as
her rope would allow / don't know
how reached the saddle, but / think
that 1 leaped up in the air and came
down astride.
Forgetting that the horse was teth-
cred to the willow tree by sixty-foOt
rope, / urged her to her full speed. AL
most at once she was well under head
way. and by the time she had run the
120 feet she was running like the wind.
OF course when she came to the end
of the rope she turned a complete cir
Gle in the air and l was thrown at
least forty feet My gun went one way
and / another.
"The grass was long. perhaps two
feet high and / had only to crawl a
few feet to get over little washed-Out
basin. Here l knelt and, catching my
breath, watched the bear When
looked at him he was standing on his
hind feet watching the mare
He was evidently puzzled at the
new turn of events. He did not under
soon as the mare got to her feet she
bOlted between the bear and the willow
clump, and as she passed the bear he
made a lunge at her with both fore
feet, but owing TO his broken wrist he
was only able to reach her with one
claw and with this he pulled out a
great hank OF hair from her tail She
kicked him fair in the chest with both
feet and again ran to the end Of her
tether. The bear made for her again
and as she passed him he scratched
her badly on the hip.
-'The wound by this time was evl
IDENTIFY telling on him, for he rose to his
hind feet, looked around in the mos
puzzled way as though something hat
been lost, and then started to limp OF
all fours to the mountain side and dis
appeared In a elump Of pine"
Mr.. Harris then united his horse anI
rode to camp. He said that he woulC
have given a thousand dollars for hi'
gun while in the ambush as be wal