The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-07-08

MAX REACH FIGHTS A BEAR.
Rex Beach, the author of "The
Spoilers," who has been having some
good hunting in Alaska, sends the
following vivid account of a bear-hunt
to a New York friend:
"I wish I could write you fully of
the trip l have had. 1t was wonder
full; the grandest of scenery, the finest
of sport, considerable hardship and
some danger. l brought back some
great trophies, and among them the
skin of huge brown bear which L
killed as he came for me. 1t was
stand-up fight on open ground and
the most magnificent battle l ever
participated in. We had been unsuc-
cessful in finding brown bear, al
though black ones were very common.
The black fellows will run from men,
and although they are big game, l
wanted to meet the other variety,
which are meat-eaters and man
hunters. This day we had been high
up in the peaks, scaling glaciers and
skirting cliffs in a hunt for big
horns,' and late in the afternoon dis
covered a band on the mountain op-
posite and across the valley. AL
though it was late in the day we
made our way down the mountain
determined to go for them if it meant
an all-night search. The mountains
in that country are very difficult to
climb and almost inaccessible, so
nearly so that strong man is about
all in when he gets up one How
ever, we started down to cross the
gulch and came up on the other side.
About halfway down we saw small
object moving along the slope below
us, and putting the glasses on it,
found to our joy that it was a great
grizzly, only attaining a much greater
size and wickedness. Immediately all
thoughts of mountain-sheep fed, and
we began to map out route by which
we might reach Mr.. Bear. We were
about two miles above timber-line
and the bear about a mile below us
on the open, grassy hillside, but by
making wide detour along the can
yon we reached little gulch which
brought us out on a ridge directly
above him. I'll never forget that ap-
proach, for we crept over places that
a fly would have to spit on his hands
to tackle and climbed precipices so
steep that they leaned backward. On
reaching the place where we had seen
our quarry he was nowhere in sight,
and when we couldn't see him after
careful and noiseless reconnaissance
I burst into such bitter profanity that
the wet grass sizzled and the hard
rock glowed. Creeping out further,
we searched the little gully beneath
us, and were about to descend boldly
and disgustedly, when right at our
feet within few yards we saw him.
He had been digging at a marmot
hole among patch of deep grass, and
seeing us had paused for to observe
and for to see who had the nerve to
butt in on him. His shaggy brown
hair blended we'll with the grass-tops,
and we had been looking clear past
and over him. I threw up my Win
chester and tore loose, whereupon
things began to happen faster than
runaway. At the first shot he roared
and rushed out of hiding up toward
us. He presented the most wonder
full and magnificent sight have ever
seen. Every hair on his coat was
abristle, his mouth open, and a bunch
of teeth barred which would have
driven the tooth powder people crazy.
l had never seen anything which
struck me as the absolute impersona-
tion of incarnate rage till l looked
down into the thorax of that animal,
and l stood so close to him that
could see every line of expression, as
it were. Let me state that when he
came up that hill he certainly looked
like winner, and as though he could
finish any old thing he cared to start.
AS he reared up shot again and so
did my companion, and we proceeded
to ring the echoes of that canyon. AS
he reared up, my second bullet turned
him, and after coming way further
he turned and .an down the hill, by
which l knew he was dead meat. l
shot three times more, but overshot
each time, as is common when shoot
ing down hill. Besides, he was hit
ting gait that would dazzle Barney
Oldfield. Suddenly his hind legs
! dragged, he broke down, and crashed
into the creek-bed, dead as nail. My
first shot had entered back of the
left shoulder and came out just ahead
of his right flank, while the second
had entered the right shoulder and
crisscrossed. Those were the only
| two bullets in him and l have them
both in my pocket now, while his skin
is being made into a rug"