The Democratic advocate., 1907-07-26
LANOOK AND THE BEAR.

conntrv that was once Lanooks. There
in the DAYS of his youth he chased deer
and antelope and led his people against the
marauding Modocs. The valleys are all
fenced and farmed now, and Lanook IN
many respects is 'all same white man.
But he loves the old wild Indian days,
loves to roam again in the land OF youth
and strength and achievement. The old
man was daily visitor when lived lnthe
country that once was his, and time and
time again he would bare his forearm and
knee, show me the deep, livid scars OF
erizzly's teeth, and tell me the following
story.
Long before the whites came he and
Nishka, now many years dead, were re
turning from Pitt River with big catch
of salmon strung on pole carried on their
shoulders. Nishka walked ahead. Be
fore them ran Lanook' little dog, clearing
the path of chipmunks and squirrels.
As they descended slope which over
looks Fall Valley, they heard the little dog
yelp as if in great fear, and saw him burst
from a fnallZaIltd lllCkel. liz ""' Pa
sued by ii giant grizzly bear.
Nishka fed. Lanook scrambled up the
nearest tree, ascrubby juniper. The bear
followed the dog straight for the master S
perch, until, catching sight of Nlshka
buckskin garments fitting through the
brush. he turned and gave him chase.
Lanook, with breath held and eyes
bulciny, watched his friends flight. lie
was racing like the wind, but it was as II a
toddling baby should attempt to outrun his
father. The great slouching brute gained
as if the fleet Indian had been hobbled; IN
almost no time he was close upon him.
The poor fellow, in despair, lodged, bare
ly escaped the beasts claws, and made
dive into a laurel thicket. The bear
crashed after-then all was silent.
The silence awoke Lanook. He leaped
from his tree, gathered up the bow he had
thrown aside before climbing, and ran to
Nishka' rescue.
The bear must have heard the Iush OF
moccasins on the trail, for as Lanook drew
within close arrow range, the grizzly
emerged from the thicket and reared on
his launches, barring teeth that were drip
ping blood.
Lanook greeted him with two arrows,
then fed for his tree. The bear, wounded
and furious, chased him as he had chased
his friend, with the fearful speed no man
could equal. Nevertheless, the Indian
reached his juniper and ran up it like
chipmunk, this time retaining his hold on
his bow
In pouch hung from his neck Lanook
carried poison made from black spiders,
the fang -sacs of rattlesnake and juice Of
wild parsnips; and while the grizzly pur
sued the howling cur round the tree, he
tipped three arrows with this death dealing
ointment.
The juniper which Lanook had climbed
was the first tree at hand-not at all the
one he would have chosen to escape
grizzly. Stout branches projected from
the very ground; besides, the tree tapered
abruptly, and was not very tall. Round
and round it raced the dog. Finally he
made quick dash, darted into big patch
of deer brush, and there succeeded in elud-
ing his pursuer.
Soon the grizzly came back to the tree,
squatted on his launches, and sat tiercely
watching the Indian. Then, his breath
recovered, he stood upright on his hind
legs, and stretched terrible, claw horned
paw upward. And how he did stretch !!
Lanook said it was as if the animal limbs
pulled out hands length at each joint.
He climbed till he feared the tapering tree
top would break.
The bear soon gave up the reaching
idea and began to climb. In this he was
as awkward as he had been agile in the
chase; but with the lower branches afford
ing support for hind and forepaws, it
seemed likely that he could work his way
| upward.
The great weight of the brute made
the little tree bend alarmingly, and when
he wriggled and hitched, both of which he
did very violently, Lanook felt like an ant
on spear of grass whipped by the wind.
Hope left the Indian; in its place came
desperate resolution. He descended as far
as he dared, fitted one of the poisoned ar
rows to his bow, and waited.
The bear ceased his struggles moment,
and threw back his head to look upward.
| Quick as the snake strikes, Lanook buried
one arrow, then another, in his shaggy
breast. The tree lurched so then from
the bears furious climbing that the third
arrow flew wide of the mark, and splintered
itself on the stony ground.
Lanook dropped his bow, gave a flying
leap, and ran still without hope, for his
life
He surprised himself with his running,
and the bear surprised him with his awk-
wardness in getting disentangled from the
tree. Lanook was long way down the
slope and buoyant with hope before the
chase began. Filled with new strength,
he sped onward like bird.
The ravine he had chosen for a runway
was smooth -bottomed and clear of brush;
the descent was gentle-just right for a
long, sweeping stride. And yet the griz
zly gained, at first by leaps and bounds,
as rolling rock bears down on one en-
bedded; then he came on with lessened
speed, but still gaining. When he was
close behind, Lanook second wind came,
and he began to pull away from the bear
rapidly. He knew then that the poison
from his arrow-tips was working in the
blood of his enemy, and hope grew strong
within him.
Had his runway remained clear, Lanook
could have escaped easily, but fortune ia
vored the bear. For the ravine suddenly
became blocked with brush, and the Indian
narrowly escaped being caught in corner.
As it was, the bear was crowding him