Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1908-09-17

even the september sun was hot.
When the shadows began to length.
Ell, l shouldercd my rifle and plunged
into the woods At first my route lay
along mountain side; then for half n
mile over Il wndfall. the dead timber
piled about in crazy confusion. After
that l went up the bottom of valley
by little brook. the ground being
carpeted with a sponge Of soaked
moss
At the head of this brook was q ponC
covered with water lilies; and u scram.
BILE through rocky pass took me into
| high. wet valley. where the thick
growth of spruce was broken by occa-
si0nal strips of meadow. In this valley
the moose carcass lay, we'll at the up.
per end.
In moccasined feet l trod softly
through the soundless woods. Under
the dark branches 1t was already dusk
and the air had the cool chill of even
ing. AS | nearcd the clump where the
body lay l walked with redoubled eau
tion, watching and listening with
strained alertneSs. Then / heard q
twig snap; and my blood leaped, for
knew the bear was Mt his supper. In
another moment | saw his shagg,
brown form He was working with al
his awkward giant strength, trying tC
bury the carcass, twisting it to one
side and the other with wonderful
ease.
One he got angry and suddenly gave
it tremendous cuff with his paw; In
his bearing he had something half hu
morous, half devilish. | crept up with
in forty yards; but for several minutes
he would not keep his head still. Then
something attracted his attention in
the forest, and he stood motionless
looking towards it, broadside to me,
with his fore-paws planted on the car.
cass. This gave me my chance.
drew very fine bead between his eye
and ear, and pulled trigger. He drop
ped like steer when struck with
pole-axe.
If there is good hiding-place handy
it is better to lie in wait at the car.
cass. One day on the head-waters of
the Madison, found that bear was
coming to an elk | had shot some
days before; and / at once determined
TO ambush the beast when he came
back that evening. The carcass lay In
the middle of valley quarter of
mile broad. The bottom of this valley
was covered by an open forest of tall
pines; a thick jungle of smaller ever,
green's marked where the mountains
rose on either hand There were q
number of large rocks scattered here
and there, one, of very convenient
shape, being only some seventy OF
eighty yards from the carcass. Up
this | clambered. 1t hid me perfectly,
and on its top was a carpet of soft
pine needles. on which l could lie al
my ease.
Hour after hour passed by. Every
slight noise made my pulses throb as
| lay motionless on the rock gazing
intcntly into the gathering gloom. ]
began to fear that it would grow toe
dark to shoot before the grisly came
Suddenly and without warning, the
great bear stepped out of the bushes
and trod across the pine needles with
such swift and silent footsteps that its
bulk seemed unreal. 1t was very eau
tious, continually halting to peer
around; and once it stood up on its
hind legs and looked long down the
valley towards the red west. AS Il
reached the carcass | put q bullet be
tween its shoulders. 1t rolled over
while the woods resounded with its
savage roaring. Immediately it strug
gled to its feet and staggered off; and
fell again to the next shot, squallins
and yelling. Twice this was repeated
the brute being one of those bears
which greet every wound with Il great
outcry, and sometimes seem to lose
their feet when hit-athough they
will occasionally fight us savagely as
their more silent brethren. In this
case the wounds were mortal, and the
bear died before reaching the edge OF
the thiCkct.
| spent much of the fall of 1SS!
hunting on the head-waters of the
Salmon and Snake in Idaho and along
the Montana boundary line from the
Big Hole Basin and the head of the
Wisdom River to the neighborhood OF
Red Rock Pass and to the north and
west of Henry's Lake. During the last
fortnight my companion was the OLD
mountain man, named Griffeth OF
Griffin-I cannot tell which, as he was
always called either Hank" OF
"Griff." He was a crabbedly honest
old fellow, and a very skilful hunter;
but he was worn out with age and
rheumatism, and his temper had failed
even faster than his bodily strength
He showed me n greater variety of
game than had ever seen before In SO
short time nor did / ever before OF
after make so successful hunt. But
he was an exceedingly disagreeable
companion on account of his surly,
moody ways. / generally had to get
up first to kindle the fire and make