The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1908-10-07

" y kootenai Lake, having
with me as companions,
ESQIIEIaT John Willis and an i'm
EIS9gHSH passive looking Indian
named Animal Coming
across through the dense coniferous
forests of northern Idaho we had
struck the Kootenai River. Then we
'ent down With the current as it
wound in half circles through a long
nlluvial valley of mixed marsh and
woodland hemmed in by lofty noun
tains, The lake itself, when we reach
ed it, stretched straight away like
great ford, a hundred miles long and
about three in breadth. The frowning
and rugged Selkirks came down sheer
to the waters edge. So straight were
the rock walls that it was difficult for
US to land with our batteau. save at
= the places where the rapid mountain
torrents entered the lake.
We had come down from a weeks
fruitless hunting in the mountains; a
week of excessive toll, in country
where we saw no game-for in our ig
norance we had wasted time not go
ing straight back to the high ranges.
from which the game had not yet de-
scended. After three or four days of
rest, and of feasting on trout-a well
come relief to the monotony of frying
pan bread and coarsey salt pork-we
were ready for another trial; and early
one morning we made the start. Hav-
ing to pack everything for fortnight's
Flse on our backs, through an excess
.ely rough country we of course
'aveed as light as possible, leaving
az az ,ost all we had with the tent and
cat.
we walked in single file. as is nee
81 essary in thick woods. The white
hunter led, and ! followed, each with
rife on shoulder and pack on back.
Animal, the Indian, pigeon toed along
behind, carrying his pack, not as we
did ours, but by help of a forehead
band, which he sometimes shifted
across his breast The travelling
through the tangled, brush choked for
est, and along the bowlder strewn and
precipitous mountain sides, was incon-
ceivably rough and difficult
An hour or two before sunset we
were travelling, as usual, in Indian
file, beside the stream, through an
open wood of great hemlock trees.
There was no breeze, and we made no
sound as we marched. for our feet
sunk noiselessly into the deep moss
Suddenly the hunter, who was lead
ing, dropped down in his tracks. point
ing upward; and some fifty feet be-
yond | saw the head and shoulders of
a bear as he rose to make a sweep at
some berries. He was in a hollow
where a tall, rank. prickly plant, with
broad leaves, grew luxuriantly; and he
rs gathering it's red berries, rising
"a his hind legs and sweeping them
down into his mouth with his paw.
land was much too intent on his work
- notice US, for his head was pointed
the other way The moment he rose
again fired, meaning to shoot through
the shoulders, but instead, in the hur-
~, taking him in the neck. Down he
went, but whether hurt or not we
could not see, for the second he was
on all tours he was no longer visible.
Rather to my surprise he uttered no
=. sound-for bear when hit o. when
charging often make great noise--so
"A raced toward the edge of the hollow,
the hunter close behind me. while Am
NAL danced about in the rear. very
much excited, as Indians always are
in the presence Of big game. The in
slant we reached the hollow and look
~ fho low no
which we stood we saw by the sway
ng of the tall plants that the bear
rs coming our way. The hunter was
,nding some ten feet distant, hem
X trunk being between US; and the
Asxt moment the bear sprang clean up
the bank. the other side of the hem
- lock. and almost within arms length
- my companion. l do not think he
had intended to charge; he was prob
ably confused by the bullet through
his neck, and had by chance blundered
out of the hollow in our direction; but
when he saw the hunter so close he
turned for him, his hair brist.ing and
his teeth showing. The man had no
cartridge in his weapon. and with his
pack on could not have used it any
how; and for a moment it looked as II
ne stood a fair chance of being hurt
AS the beast sprang out of the hollow
he poised for a second on the edge OF
the bank to recover his balance, giving
- me a beautiful shot, as he stood side
ways to me; the bullet struck between
the eye and ear, and he fell as If hi
with a pole axe.
Our prize was large black bear
with two curious brown streaks down
his back, one on each side the spine
We skinned him and camped by the
- arcass. as it was growing late. Tt
Ike the chill off the evening air we
lit a huge fire. the logs roaring and
packing. To one side Of 1t we made
our beds of balsam and hemlocl
boughs; we did not build brush lean
to, because the night seemed likely t.