The Democratic advocate., 1907-01-04
Rex Beach Fights Bear.

Rex Beach, the author of ''The Spoil
ers, who has been hunting in Alaska,
sends the following vivid account of
bear hunt to New York friend:
"This day we had been high up in the
peaks, scaling glaciers and skirting cliffs in
hunt for 'bighorns,' and late in the af-
ternoon discovered band on the noun
tains opposite and across the valley AL
though it was late in the day, we made
our way down the mountain, determined
to 60 for them if it meant an all night
search. The mountains in that country
are very difficult to climb and almost in
accessible, 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 a small
object moving along the slope below us
and, putting the glasses on it, found to
our joy that it was great brown bear.
1t is species of grizzly, only attaining a
much greater size and wickedness. I'm
mediately all thoughts of mountain sheep
fled, and we began to map out route by
which we might reach Mr.. Bear.
''We were about two miles above tim
ber line and the bear about mile below
us on the open, grassy hillside, but by
making wide detour along the canyon we
reached little gulch which brought us
out on ridge directly 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 preci-
pices so steep that they leaned backward.
On reaching the place where we had seen
our quarry he was nowhere in sight,
"Creeping out farther, we searched the
little gully beneath us and were about to
descend boldly and disgustedly when right
at out feet within a few yards we saw him.
He had been digging at marmot hole
among patch Of deep grass and, seeing
us, had paused for to observe and for to
see who had the nerve to butt in ON him.
His shaggy brown hair blended well with
the grass tops, and we had been looking
clear past and over him. [ threw up my
Winchester and tore loose.
cat the first shot he roared and rushed
out of hiding up toward us. Represented
the most wonderful and magnificent sight
[ have ever seen. Every hair on his coat
was bristle, his mouth open and bunch
of teeth barred which would have driven
tooth powder 'addists' crazy. l have
never seen anything which struck me as
the absolute impersonation of incarnate
rage till l looked down into the thorax Of
that animal, and l stood so close to him
that [ could see every line of expression,
as it were.
''Let me state that when he came up
that hill he certainly looked like winner
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 way farther he
turned and ran down the hill, by which
knew he was dead meat | shot three
times more, but overshot each time, as is
common when shooting down hill. Be-
sides, he was hitting a gait that would
dazzle Barney Oldfeld.
"Suddenly his hind legs dragged, he
broke down and crashed into the creek bed
dead as nail My first shot had entered
back of his right flank and come out just
ahead of his right flank, while the second
had entered the right shoulder and criss-
crossed. Those were the only two bullets
in him, and l have them both in my pock-
ct now, while his skin is being made into
n r,Ior -