The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-25

we Sot Statt 10 aO0et JOr MS approach.
reached camp early in the afternoon,
and waited couple Of hours before
Merrifeld put in an appearance. At
last heard a shout-the familiar long
drawn Eikoh-h-h of the cattle-men-
and he came in sight galloping at
speed down an open glade, and wav-
ing his hat. evidently having had good
luck: and when he reined in his small.
wiry, cow-pony, we saw that he had
packed behind his saddle the fine,
glossy pelt Of black bear. Better
still, he announced that he had been
OF about ten miles to perfect tangle
Of ravines and valleys where bear sign
was very thick: and not Of black bear
either, but grizzly.
Merrifeld's tale made me decide to
shift camp at once, and go over to the
spot where the bear-tracks were so
plenty. Next morning we were of,
and by noon pitched camp by a clear
brook, In a valley with steep, wooded
sides, but with good feed for the
horses in the open bottom. We rugged
the canvas wagon sheet into a small
tent, sheltered by the trees from the
wind, and piled great pine logs near
by where we wished to place the fire;
for 4 night camp in the sharp fall
weather is cold and dreary unless there
is a roaring blaze Of fame in fl 1t Of
the tent.
That afternoon we again went out,
and 1 shot a fine bull elk. l came
home alone toward nightfall, walking
,nl, 0f h,r~n 1u,h
there was nothing but charred tree
trunks and black mould. When near
~ through 1t came across the huge.
half-human footprints Of great
grizzly, which must have passed by
within a few minutes. It gave me
rather an eerie feeling in the silent.
lonely woods, to see the unmistakable
proofs that / was in the home of the
mighty lord Of the Wilderness fol-
lowed the tracks in the fading twi-
light untis It became too dark to see
them any longer and then shouldered
my rifle and walked back to camp.
That evening we almost had a visit
from one Of the animals we were aft
er. Several times we had heard at
night the musical calling of the bull
elk. This particular night, when we
were In bed and the fire was shoulder
ing. we were reused by ruder noise
"a kind Of grunting or roaring whine.
answered by the frightened snorts OF
the ponies. 1t was a bear which had
evidently not seen the fire, as 1t came
from behind the bank. and had prob
ably been attracted by the smell Of
the horses. After it made out what
we were it stayed round short while.
again uttered its peculiar roaring
grunt, and went off: we had seized
our rifles and had run out into the
woods but In the darkness could see
nothing: indeed it was rather lucky
we did not stumble across the bear, ne
he could have made short work OF US
when We were at such disadvantage.
Next day we went or on a long
tramp through the woods and along
the sides Of the canyons. There were
plenty Of berry bushes growing In
clusters: and all around these there
were fresh tracks of bear. But the
grizzly IS also desh-eater. and has q
great liking for carbon. On visiting
the place where Merrif1eld had killed
the black bear. we found that the grix-
xlies had been there before us. and had
utterly devoured the carcass. with can
nibal relish. Hardly scrap was left.
a0A 10 TUNED our steps toward where