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

whiskey- flask, which kept purely for
emergencies, and drank all the con
tents
When | came back he was q;:iye
drunk. This was unbearable, and
after some high words / left him. and
struck off homeward through the
woods on my own account. We had
with us four pack and saddle horses;
and of these | took very intelligent
and gentle little bronco mare, which
possessed the invaluable trait of al
ways staying near camp, even when
not hObbled. | was not hampered
with much of an outfit, having only
my buffalo sleeping-bag, fur coat,
and my washing kit. with couple of
spare pairs of socks and some hand
kerchiefs. | walked, while the little
mare followed almost like n dog, often
without my having hold the lariat
which served as halter.
AS dusk was coming on | halted and
camped in little open spot by the
side of a small, noisy brook, with crys-
the bedding on smooth spot, knee
battered the little mare, dragged up
few dry logs, and then strolled off,
rifle on shoulder, through the frosty
cleaning to see If | could pick up a
grouse for supper.
AS was thinking of turning towards
camp, l stole up to the crest of one Of
the ridges, and looked over into the
valley some sixty yards off. Immedi-
ately I caught the loom of some large,
dark object; and another glance show
ed me big grisly walking slowly off
with his head down. He was quarter
ing to me, and | fired into his flank,
the bullet, as | afterwards found,
ranging downward and piercing one
lung.
At the shot he uttered a loud,
moaning grunt and plunged forward at
a heavy gallop, while | raced oblique-
ly down the hill to cut him off. After
going a few hundred feet he reached
II laurel thicket, some thirty yards
broad, and two or three times as long
which he did not leave. ! ran up to
the edge and there halted, not liking
TO venture into the mass of twisted,
close-growing stems and glossy foli-
age. Moreover, as l halted, | heard
him utter Il peculiar, savage kind Of
whine from the heart of the brush.
Accordingly, / began to skirt the edge,
standing on tiptoe and gazing earnest
ly to see If could not catch q glimpse
of his hide. When ] was at the mar
rowest part of the thicket, he sud
denly left it directly opposite, and then
wheeled and stood broadside to me on
the hillside, n little above. He turned
his head stiffly towards me; scarlet
strings of froth hung from his lips;
his eyes burned like embers in the
gloom
I held true, aiming behind the shoul-
der, and my bullet shattered the point
or lower end Of his heart. taking out
big nick. Instantly the great bear
turned with a harsh roar of fury and
challenge, blowing the bloody foam
from his mouth. so that | saw the
gleam of his white fangs; and then he
charged straight at me, crashing and
bounding through the laurel bushes,
so that 1t was hard to aim | waited
until he came to fallen tree. raking
him as he topped 1t with ball, which
entered his chest and went through
the cavity of his body. but he neither
swerved nor flinched and at the mo-
ment | did not know that ! had struck
him. He came steadily ON, and in
another second was almost upon me.
| fired for his forehead, but my bull
let went low. entering his open mouth.