The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-01-14

WueH. tdhiuS u iOlS StiIut DdChW uIu
found myself suddenly PROSTATE in
a sort of dry ditch or slough. where
lay for Il moment half stunned in com
pany with my dead birds and duck
gun.
"As recovered myself ! could hear
my granting and grumbling friend
doubtless not a little astonished at this
sudden disappearance. so tramping up
and down in the vain attempt to nose
me out In the fog.
II had now time to think and. as a
merchant might say. take stock of
my position and prospects. On the one
side was chased by bear-a hungry
bear. cross bear. bear disturbed at
his breakfast of sweet acorns. had
lost my way. | had only ducking
gun, which. however formidable to
wild geese. was mere plaything
when brought to bear upon the thick.
tough hide of an acorn fattened griZ-
ely. whose gross weight might be
somewhere in the neighborhood of 900
pounds AS for my hunting knife.
had left it ut home. What wonder If,
as an freshman might say. | wished
that | had left myself there before
started:
Against all this | had the consola-
tory assurance that the grizzly bear
never climbs. which. as the trees were
all on the side of the bear. did not add
much to my selise of security. But
my principal hope lay in the fact that
was just then hidden by the gully,
the depth of which varied from eight
to twelve feet. with precipitous sides
| and dry bed. which probably led
down TO some neighboring stream of
wafer
Now thought |, i have only TO
crawl along this ditch, reach the
stream. cross ii and bid goodby to
grizzly
Il 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 | was
partly screened from view. This was
speedily followed by an angry grow
as the treacherous earth gave way and
let Mr.. Bear with no gentle tumble
directly down into the very gully into
which | had fallen.
FORTUNATELY for me. bruin had not
only greater fall. but tumbled into
the ditch at Il point somewhat distant
ferret eyes did not at once perceive
me. An unlucky stumble. however.
which | owed to twisted root, be-
trayed me. and he turned and gave
chase.
"'They have very expressive phrase
in California when person is desired
to leave suddenly. 1t consists Of but
two words. You git My dears,
when that bear tumbled into my gully
4 got and when he took up the chase
| continued to git in a style which
astonished even myself.
when | first saw him fall certain
" hoped that he had broken his nose
at least or even dislocated his great
ugly neck. but that hope vanished in
q moment.
"He was evidently not whit the
worse for his somersaut.
at was no longer a matter of cere-
mony. | sped over the ground like
hunted deer, while my stout friend
came numbering and putting on behind.
like a portly 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
| 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 on
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 | could enter
where his huge frame could not. for he
seemed to reflect and finally intro
duced a paw, from whose farreaching
grab retired into the inner recesses
of my chamber.
Finding that his attempts in this
way were equally futile. | began to
feel n little more at ease, and when
bruin again poked in his great paw in
an inquiring sort of way | 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 style which gave
mo q nrpttv lively notion of what