Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1905-09-30
ANNNANA44FAtRR4AeAAAfAffAtNt4NAtiE
A VICTIM
OF SPORT
By Herbert F. Coolidge.
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"meNt" The mere sight Of party Of
sportsmen will set him stormlng
against the practice Of hunting Just
to kill" one evening, as we sat watch
ing our cheerful fire in q camp in the
high SeTas, he told the following
story:
Summer before last" he began, IL
met OH the trail a crowd of Frisco
sports who were hurrylng one of their
crowd down the mountain. He had
hurt himself, they said, in getting
away from Il big she grizzly that had
charged them in defense Of her two
half-grown cubs that they We're pump
ing lead into with their Krag-Jorgen-
sens.
"'Shc got away from us, after ALL
they concluded, but she's wounded,
and she'll die, anyway.
"The next morning l sighted a col
umn of smoke among the wild ridges,
where the head waters of the San
Joaquin rise. Late that evening, after
covering forty OF the toughest miles of
trail OH record, rode up the meadow
on which the Frisco sportsmen had
camped, and found it circled with fire.
They had neglected to cover their bed
Of live Goals.
II was dead tired, but there was
nothing 10 do but get the crawling
flames under control before the wind
Of the next morning should spread it
over the whole country. So, after a
hasty meal, took my shovel and be-
gan.
"Fighting fire is hot, thirsty work,
and about midnight my throat became
so parched that / could hardly swal.
low. From below me, in dark, heav-
lily wooded canon, there came the en-
ticing sound of a mountain stream.
dropped my shovel and started for it.
ut was pitch dark as soon as
passed out Of the light Of the fire line.
Progress was, at the best, slow; but
with the usual risk of bad falls and OF
landing upon rattlesnakes that one al
ways takes in travelling the mountains
at night, Numbered on down the
rough, timbered slope, finally nearing
the water without calamity.
"As l was feeling my way along
about 200 feet from the creek, l was
startled by a low, fierce Grow from
the darkness below, followed immedi-
ately by the terrific crashing of a
heavy beast thrashng its way toward
me through the brush.
Scared out of my wits, turned to
run, but tripped and fell, sprawlng, be-
fore going dozen steps. The sound
close behind of n huge body lumber
ing over the logs brought me with cat
like agility to my feet. Then ran
squarely against tree, and without
a seconds pause, went up it like a
squirrel. The beast was under the
tree before was out Of reach, and
heard the swish of a huge paw as it
made a desperate pass at my legs.
"The thing had come upon me so
suddenly that perched for some time
:. - @--r, .'4i.- 1907 - H---I
collected my wits; then gathered my
self together and tried to get line on
the situation.
at was very plain that / was freed
by bear, for the menacing growls of
through the branches l could see its
eyes cleaning like two balls of fire.
at was evident that was in bad
box. There wasn't thing to do but
sit in the dark and think. Long before
the end of that night 1 had concluded
that had stumbled upon the ferocious
she bear thatthe city men had crippled.
This made it look pretty bad. for /
knew that she was still lively on her
feet, and yet 1 feared that she would
be too sick to travel and ugly enough
to camp under the tree until fell out.
"Then there was the thought that
I might not have n chance to stay in
the tree very long, for there was the
fire cracking away up on the ridge.
The canon would probably burn out
when the day wind came up, and then
where should 1 be? Would the bear
pull out when the fire approached, or
would she hang on and growl until it
was too late for either of US to get
away?
There was no way Of settling the
question, so l sat III my treetop, look
ing down at the two glowing balls of
fire at the base of my refuge, and fig
ured OH the proposition until my poor
old brain ached.
"At last daylight came, finding me
stiff with the night chill, very tired and
hungry, but desperate enough to do
anything. descended the tree MS far
as dared, and examined my enemy.
1t proved to be the biggest, leancst.
tiercest-looking old she grizzly had
ever seen. She had couple of bullet
wounds; but she wasn't broken down
anywhere, and although somewhat
lame, showed signs when l pelted her
with pine-cOnes of being pretty active
OH her feet.
although, rs I said before, l was
desperate enough to do anything,
crawled back into the top boughs of the
tire, where the sun was now shining
this was the only thing sane man
could do.
Il sat there without hope or the
sign OF q nope, unless, indeed, 1t was
that the fire, which had by this time
crept down into the canon mile or
so below, would drive away the old she
grizzly. But with this hope came the
terrible fear of the flames. l have
fought many fire in these mountains.
end have seen the flames sucked
through canon like a raging furnace
blast. 1 knew, also, that it was the
instinct Of every wounded animal to
fight, and not to run away.
But just about this time a good.
strong hope came to me. The bear,
doubtless suffering from the fever
thirst of her wounds, was eying the
creek below longlngly. Presently she
began to side down the slope, keeping
one eye on me and the other OH the
water When she got down about n
feet, l. with both eyes on the
bear, began 10 slide carefully down