The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-01-06

green boughs. watching the pack 20
MES as they stood under the pines on
The edge of the open. stamping now
and then. and switching their tails.
The air was still, the sky glorious
blue; at that hour in the afternoon
even the September sun was hot.
When the shadows began to length
en-, | shouldered my rifle and plunged
into the woods. At first my route lay
along mountain side: then for half a
mile over a windfall. the dead timber
piled about in crazy confusion. After
that | went Up the bottom of a valley
by little brook, the ground being
carpeted with sponge of soaked
moss.
At the head of this brook was pond
covered with water lilies; and scram-
BILE through a rocky pass took me into
a high, wet valley, where the thick
growth of spruce was broken by occa-
sional strips of meadow In this valley
the moose carcass ray, we'll at the up
per end.
In moccasned feet l trod softly
through the soundless woods Under
the dark branches it was already dusk,
and the air had the cool chill of even
ing. AS l neared the clump where the
body lay | walked with redoubled eau
ton, watching and listening with
strained alertness. Then | heard a
twig snap and my blood leaped, for
knew the bear was at his supper. In
another moment | saw his shaggy
brown form. He was working with all
his awkward giant strength, trying to
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 hui
morous. half deviish. | 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 a very fine bead between his eve
and ear. and pulled trigger He drop
ped like a 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
/ I.,x, ~
the middle of valley a quarter of a
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 We're 4
number of large rocks scattered here
and there. one, of very convenient
eighty yards from the carcass. Up
this clambered. 1t hid me perfectly,
and on it's top was a carpet of soft
pine needles, on which | could lie al
my ease
Hour after hour passed by. Every
slight noise made my pulses throb as
lay motonless on the rock gazinf
intently into the gathering gloom.
began to fear that it would grow too
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 hating 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 a bullet be-
tween its shoulders. 1t rolled over
while the woods resounded with its
savage roaring. Immediately it strug
eled to its feet and staggered off; and
fell ag" to the next shot. squalline
and yelling. Twice this was repeated;
the brute being one Of those hears
which greet every wound with great
outcry. and sometimes seem to lose
their feet when hit-although the.
J will occasionally fight as savagely as
their more silent brethren. In this
case the wounds were mortal, and the
bear died before reaching the edge of
the thicket.
spent much of the fall Of 1885
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 Griffith or
Griffin cannot tell which, as he was
: always called either Hank or
"Griff" He was a crabbedly honest
8 old fellow. and very skilful hunter:
2 but he was worn out with age and
; rheumatism and his temper had failed
I even faster than his bodily strength.
! He showed me a greater variety of
game than had ever seen before In so
short time nor did ever before or