The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-13
REX BEACH
FIGHTS A BEAR

. . . . 9 . = g $ $ . 9 . . . . . .
Rex Beach. the author of The
Spoilers, who has been having some
good hunting in Alaska, sends the fol-
lowing vivid account of a bear-hunt
to New York friend.
Il wish l could write you fully of
the trip have had. 1t was wonder
fully; the grandest' of scenery, the
finest of sport, considerable hardship,
and some danger. brought back
some great trophies. and among them
the skin Of huge brown bear which
/ killed as he came for me. It was a
stand-up fight on open ground and
the most magnificent battle ever
participated in. We had been unsuc-
cessful in finding brown bear, although
black ones were very common. The
black fellows will run from men, and
although they are big game 1 wanted
to meet the other variety, which are
meat-eaters and man-hunters This
day we had been high up in the peaks,
scaling glaciers and skirting cliffs
in hunt for big horns,' and late in
the afternoon discovered a band on
the mountains opposite and across the
valley. Although 1t was late in the
day we made our way down the noun
tain determined to go for them IL It
meant an all-night search. The noun
tains In that country are very difil-
cult to climb and almost inaccessible.
SO nearly SO that strong man is
about all in when he gets up one.
However, we started down to cross
the gulch and came up on the other
side. About halfway down we saw q
small object moving along the slope
below US, and putting the glasses on
it, found to our Joy that it was a
great brown bear. They are a species
of grizzly, only attaining much
greater size and wickedness. Inn
mediately all thoughts OF mountain
sheep fled. and we began to map on.
q route by which we might reach Mr..
Bear. We were about two miles above
timber-line and the bear about mile
. below us on the open grassy hillside,
but by making a wide detour along
the canyon we reached little gulch
which brought us out on a ridge d.
rectly above him. I'll never forget
that approach, for We crept over places
that fly would have to spit on his
hands to tackle. and climbed precipices
so steep that they leaned backward.
On reaching the place where we had
seen our quarry he was nowhere In
sight and when We couldn't see him.
After a careful and noiseless recon-
noissance I burst into such bitter
profanity that the wet grass sizzled
and the hard rock glowed. Creeping
out further We searched the little
gully beneath us, and were about to
descend boldly and disgustedly when
right at our feet within few yards we
saw him. He had been digging at a
marmot hole among patch for to
observe and for to see who had the
nerve to butt in on him. His shaggy
brown hair blended we'll with the grass
tops, and We had been looking clear
past and over him. / threw up my
Winchester and tore loose, whereupon
things began to happen faster than
runaway. At the first shot he roared
and rushed out of hiding up toward
US. He presented the most wonder
full and magnificent sight l have ever
seen. Every hair on his coat was
abristle, his mouth open, and a bunch
of teeth barred which would have
NsH'Su sAAO 0VNO0OAI pCOPlo crazy i
never have seen anything which struck
me as the absolute impersonation of
incarnate rage till looked down in
to the thorax of that animal, and I
stood so close to him that I could see
every line Of expression, as 1t were.
LIE me state that when he came up that
hill he certainly looked like q win
ner, and as though he could finish any
old thing he cared to start. AS he
reared up shot again and so did my
companion, and we proceeded to ring
the echoes Of that canyon. As he
reared up. my second bullet turned
him, and after coming q way further
he turned and ran down the hill, by
which | knew he was dead meat.
shot three times more, but ovrshot
each time, as is common when shoot
ing down hill. Besides, he was hit
ting gait that would dazzle Barney
Oldfield. Suddenly his hind legs drag
ged, he broke down, and crashed into
the creek-bed dead as nail. My first
shot had entered back of the left
shoulder and came out Just ahead of
his right flank, while the second had
entered the right shoulder and crisis
crossed. Those were the ony two bull
lets In him and have them both in
my pocket now, while his skin is being
made into rug"
It May BE Worth Telling
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