Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-09-15

best hounds had their backs broken
In the bears powerful jaws.
II was now nearly noon. and while
my spirit still desired to go on. my
legs rebelled. So the captain OF the
chase put me on what he assured me
was "a right likely stand" and told
me u heard the dogs pass toward
the river I should follow. whether !
saw the bear or not. He would 20
across to another stand and between
us I'VE orto come mighty clost to that
bear" he concluded. after outlining
the secret hopes Of his plan OF cam
paign. With some misgivings lest l.
too. might be sidetracked like the I'M
fortunate Mex. ! sat down on a log
to enjoy. think. the sweetest and
most welcome rest Of my whole ex-
isteace. The wait was only an hour.
Hearing the unmistakable crashing
through the brush and the voices Of
the hounds. I climbed a great rock
no. not for safety. but to get a good
look about could hear the bear. but
could not see him until he burst into
view less than 100 yards away. got
IN one shot before he disappeared. the
dogs close at his heels. He seemed
to be going slower and making
straight for the rocky gorge. II was
not long before heard the report OF
Johns gun and the sounds Of anoth n
fight, which soon died away. The
pace was too fast for me. and by the
time I reached the edge Of the gorge
It was an over.
The bear had passed close to John.
and he let go charge that must have
missed. for the mountain hunters do
not pretend to much skill in shooting
at moving objects. His presence en-
couraged the dogs and they soon
closed in The old bear was very
ugly by this time. and AZ John put 1t
he whipped the dogs clean outright
now and went on. But made 'em
go to It again." he related to me.
"and follered 'em acrost that last hol-
Ter as fast as I could. and found
where they had cornered him In a
rock den on the edge Of the gorge. |
seen blood on the trail. so ! knowed
he's hit, and it's lucky he was. or
he'd "a killed my best dog. But you
see his Jaw was broke. so be couldn't
bite AS soon as / got up to the fight
climbed down where they was. and
got up within ten feet Of the bear. and
had to give him three ioads of buck
shot afore was sure he was dead"
And there was the bear to prove It.
An examination of the broken jaw
showed that 1t was done by rife. a
terrible soft-nosed bullet. Aiming for
the shoulder l had overestimated his
speed and held a little too far for
ward. or the bear would have stopped
right there.
Now the question was, how to get
that bear to the settlement We were
only two miles away now. as the bear
had run in a big semi-circle to get
into the gorge. But such miles as
these werei THE worst briar patch
in the country is between here and
the ford" one of the boys pointed out
but that was the only way. Remov'
ing the entrails to tighten the load,
the paws were tied together and the
burden carried on stout pole. After
many resting spells and much rend-
ing of already ragged garments and
bloody. singing flesh. We got the bear
to the ford. waded the river and sent
a wagon to bring the trophy to the
little store at the settlement
What was left Of the bear weighed
Isl pounds when brought In. and the
hide measured seven feet from nose
to tail.