Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-04

much TO my sense of security. But
my principal hope lay in the fact that
I was just then hidden by the gully.
the depth of which varied from eight
to twelve feet. with precipitous sides
and a dry bed. which probably led
down to some neighboring stream of
water
Now thought /. 4 have only To
crawl along this ditch. reach the
stream. cross it and bid goodby To
grizzly
'T had Just picked myself up and
was proceeding to carry out my plan
of escape when / heard a cracking
and breaking of the underbrush which
fringed the ditch and by which l was
partly screened from view. This was
speedily followed by an angry growl
as the treacherous earth gave way and
let Mr. Bear with no gentle tumble
directly down into the very gully into
which l had fallen.
Fortunately for me, bruin had not
only a greater fall. but tumbled into
the ditch at point somewhat distant
from my hiding place, and the little
ferret eyes did not at once perceive
me. An unlucky stumble, however.
which l owed to a twisted root. be-
trayed me, and he turned and gave
chase.
HThey have a very expressive phrase
in California when person is desired
to leave suddenly. II consists Of but
two words. You gitr My dears.
when that bear tumbled into my gully
4 got and when he took up the chase
r 90 ,~ffs In cfxto yhfch
astonished even myself.
when first saw him fall certain
ly hoped that he had broken his nose
at least or even dislocated his great
ugly neck, but that hope vanished in
a moment
'He was evidently not a whit the
worse for his sOmersault.
"It was no longer a matter of cere-
mony. 1 sped over the ground like
hunted deer. while my stout friend
came numbering and putting on behind.
like a portIy old gentleman who fears
he may be too late for the evening
train. was expecting every moment
to feel the blow Of his heavy paw,
when, turning an angle Of the gully,
perceived, with no little dismay, that
the ditch in front OF me was blocked
by an immense fallen tree. The small
er end of the broken trunk, being to-
ward me, showed an opening wide
enough to admit my then somewhat
more than usually slender form.
"There was little time for hesitation.
l could hear the bears heavy tramp
behind me. A moment more and
had plunged into the opening and drew
my gun after me. just as my fat friend
rounded the turn of the slough in hot
pursuit Running blindly on, he en-
deavored to force himself after me,
giving the log a shock which made me
tremble for the security of my new
tenement.
Zone or two furious plungeS tended
to convince him that l could enter
where his huge frame could NOT, for be
seemed TO reflect and finally intro
duced a paw, from whose farreaching
grab l retired into the inner recesses
of my chamber.
Finding that his attempts in this
way were equally futile. l began to
feel a little more at ease, and when
bruin again poked in his great paw in
an inquiring sort Of way l managed to
push a dead duck out TO him with the
butt of my gun by way Of peace Of
fering. was willing just then to have
peace at any price short of surrender.
But Sir Bear had no thought of
such a compromise. He tore away and
made the feathers fly with his cruel
teeth and claws in a style which gave
me a pretty lively notion Of what l
might expect were 1 to trust myself
within their grasp.
81 had begun to think seriously Of
giving my pursuer the benefit Of a
charge of duck shot in the hope Of
putting out one or both of his ugly
little eyes and making him give up the
hunt when. my eyes becoming accus-
toned to the darkness, discovered a
faint indication of light behind me.
crawIed toward it and dropped out
backward.
1.-THE creek was below me, and !
dropped into 1t in a moment and push
ed, apparently unheard. to the opposite
bank, whence prudence, coupled with
come doubts as to the possibility Of
discharging a wet gun. induced me to
leave Ursa Major to his log boring
while I made the best Of my way back
to camp"
Lame back comes on suddenly and
is extremely painful. II is caused by
rheumatism of the muscles. Quick re-
lief is afforded by applying Chamber