Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-03-22


off until daylight, an then they skunk
away; but II the light had been nalf
an hour longer in comm they'd "a had
their own way, for was out of ammu-
milton. BY that time, too, l was feelin'
pretty sick. Fever was comm up, and
l knew II I didn't get out O. that hole
some way I'd be done for, sure as
shootin' So commenced draggin' my
self along until l found a place / could
clumb up the bank on the same side
I'd fallen. 1t was a tough tussle, /
want to tell you, with a broken leg, but
made it, and then I worked along my
trail an inch at a time, fairly sweatin'
blood, 1t hurt so bad.
Il don't reckon I'd covered more'n a
couple O. hundred yards that way, and
yet the sun was startin' on the down
grade, when Mr.. Grizzly showed up. I
was settin' with my back to big tree
takin' rest an wonderin' II I'd ever
see Bill again. was weak as a cat.
My OF heart wuz churnin' away like
one O. them tugboats at Frisco an my
head was roarin' like house afire. So
I wasn't right sure at first whether 1t
YVES a real bear or whether l was just
crazy. He was about twenty rods off
when 7 first saw him. 1t was a fairly
level stretch right along there, and
while there was sprinklin' o. big trees
there wasn't any underbrush. That's
how 1t was that could see a consid-
cradle ways. He was comm toward
me, but the wind bein' in my direction
ute he stopped an commenced lookin'
my way. Then knew he spied me,
an all of sudden 1t seemed like my
head cleared an begun to understand
that was up agin proposition that
was tougher tnan wolves. And didn't
have a single cartridge left.
Mr.. Grizzly stood lookin' at me for
ten minutes, I reckon, tryin' to make up
his mind about me. Then he turned
around an started of, but all bears
have a lot O. curiosity an I guess his
was too much for him. Anyhow, he
turned again and come waggin' toward
me slow an careful, like he expected
something to bust loose any minute,
was so weak I could hardly hold my
head up an don't guess I could "a
raised my gun II I'd a had a bushel O
cartridges. Didn't seem like I had pow
er enough to holler, an I just sat there
frd tnb la
If could "a yelled or had made any
kind Of disturbance what happened
then wouldn't "a happened. A feller
never knows when he's luckiest.
"Somethin' seemed to draw my eyes
up. 1t was yellow spot in one O. the
big trees an begun to watch 1t in
stead O. the bear. For 1t was a whop-
pin mountain lion. He must "a been
takin' snooze up there when the scent
o. the bear struck him, the wind bein
from that quarter, as I said, instead Of
from my side. Anyhow, II her seen me
he wasn't payin' any attention to me.
but was peerin' down at the grizzly.
The big bear kept shuffiin in on toward
me like he was comm to funeral an
wasn't right sure whose 1t was, an I
was so weak that wasn't carin' much
what happened, though I was wishin'
he'd hurry up an have 1t over with.
Still 7 kept one eye on the lion.
Mr.. Grizzly was right under the tree
when I saw the lion wiggle his hind
quarters. Then yellow streak shot
down, hit the bear square on the back,
an such a scrimmase as there was then
mighty few men ever looked at before,
or since either, for that matter. The
panther was on top the grizzly clawin'
and chawin' at his neck. The grizzly
tried to throw him off, but he couldn't
do it. Over and over he rolled, but the
cat was too fast for him, and he
couldn't get his claws on her yellow
hide, while every time he turned the
cat was gougin' at his back. An all
the time the bear was growlin' an
roarin' and the panther was snarlin'
and screamin' like the very devil. 1t
plum braced me up, and I was enjoyin'
the scrap, though I felt pretty certain
that which ever one whipped would be
after me next. Then all of a sudden
there was a crack from behind me and
the panther fell over beating the air
with its claws. There was another
crack an the grizzly, all covered with
blood, started on a run toward me. I
didn't know any more until found Bill
leanin' over me an pourin' whisky
down my throat. Not over ten feet
away was Mr.. Bear, stone dead, and
the panther was lyin' where Bills first
shot nit him."-St. Louis Times-Demo-
crat.