Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-04-16
THEODORE ROOSEVELT

we did moi stumble across the bear, a!
he could have made short work OF W
when we were at such n disadvantage
Next day we went off on long
tramp through the woods and along
the sides Of the canyons. There were
plenty Of i,rrry bushes growing II
clusters; and all around these there
were fresh tracks of bear. But the
grizzly IS also a flesh eater, and has
great liking for carliOn. On visiting
the place where Merritield had killed
the black bear. we found that the griz-
lilies had been there before us, and had
utterly drvollred the carcass, with can
nibal relish Hardly a scrap was left,
and we turned our steps toward where
lay the bull elk | had killed. 1t was
quite late in the afternoon when we
reached the place A grizzly had evil
IDENTIFY been at the carcass during the
preceding night, for his great, foot
prints were in the ground all around
1t, and the carcass itself was gnawed
and torn, and partially covered with
earth and leaves--for the grizzly has
a curious habit of hurying all of his
prey that he does not at the moment
! need A great many ravens had been
feeding on the body, and they wheeled
about over the tree tops above US, ut
tering their barking croaks.
The forest WAS composed mainly OF
what are called ridge-pole pines, which
grow close together, and do not branch
out until the stems are thirty or forty
feet from the ground. Beneath these
trees we walked over carpet of pine
needles. upon which our moccasined
feet made no sound. The woods
seemed vast and lonely, and their ST.
lence was broken now and then by the
strange noises always to be heard in
the great forests, and which seem to
mark the sad and everlasting unrest
Of the wilderness. We climbed up
along the trunk Of dead tree which
had toppled over until its upper
branches struck in the limb crotch of
another, that thus supported 1t at an
angle halfway in It's fall When
above the ground far enough to pre-
vent the bears smelling us, we sat still
to wait for his approach; until, in the
gathering gloom, we could no longer
see the sights Of our rifles, and could
but dimly make out the carcass Of the
| great elk. .
1 It was useless to walt longer: and
! we clambered down and stole, out to
the edge of the woods. The forest here
covered one side Of a steep, almost
canyon-like ravlne, whose other side
was bare except Of rock and sage-brush
Once out from under the trees there
| was still plenty of light, although the
sun had set. and we crossed over some
! city yards to the opposite hillside, and
| crouched down under a bush to see II
perchance some animal might not also
| leave the cover. To our right the IA
vine sloped downward toward the val
ley Of the Bighorn River, and far on
it's other side we could catch glimpse
Of the great main chain of the Rockies
their snow peaks glinting crimson ir
! the light of the set sun. Again we
| waited quietly In the growing dusk
! until the pine trees in our front blend
cd into one dark, frowning mass. We
saw nothing; but the wild creatures OF
the forest had begun to stir abroad
The owls hooted dismally from the
tops Of the tall trees, and two or three
times harsh wailing cry, probably the
A voice OF some lynx or wolverine, arose
from the depths Of the woods At last
as we were rising to leave, we heart
the sound of the breaking Of deat
stick, from the spot where we knew
the carcass lay. It was a sharp, sud
den noise, perfectly distinct from th,
4 natural creaking and swapping Of tn
branches; just such a sound as woult
4 be made by the tread of some -heav.
4 creature. old Ephraim" had com'
back to the carcass. A minute after
A ward, listening with strained ears, ",
q heard him brush by some dry twigs
4 1t was entirely too dark to go in afte
a him; but we made up our minds tina
on the morrow he should be ours
y Early next morning we were over a
the elk carcass, and, as we expected
q found that the bear had eaten his 81
/. at 1t during the night. His track
showed him to be an immense fellow
q and were so fresh that we doubted !
!, he had left long before we arrived an,
/, we made up our minds to follow hin
4 up and try to find hin lair. The bear
that lived on these mountains had eyi
/, IDENTIFY been little disturbed; indeed, til
Indians and most Of the white hunter
a are rather chary Of meddling VIII
"old Ephrainn, as the mountain me,
n style the grizzly, unless they get hin
Il at disadvantage; FOR the sport j
4 fraught with some danger and bu
small profit The bears thus seemed t
4 have very little fear OF harm, and NJ
thought 1t likely that the bed Of til
one who had fed on the elk would nd
be far away.
Ny companion was q akilful tracke
and We took up the trail at once RI
i some distance It led over the sol
yielding carpet of moss and pine ne,
u s11na md tho fr,t,ty,ris,fr xux - Il