The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-11-07
FIGHTING A BISON
Exciting Battle With a Savage
Bull In India.
A WILD SCRAMBLE FOR LIFE.

There Were Several Narrow Escapes
For the Hunter That Was Hunted
Before an Unexpected Climax Ended
the Rather One Sided Engagement.
In her book, "Roughing II In South
ern India" Mrs. NJ. A. Handley pre-
sents a graphic description Of thrill
! ing adventure In which a member OF
her party played one of the star parts.
II was a brilliant but unwilling en-
gagement, and 1t was too serious
while Il lasted either for comfort or
for the enjoyment Of the grlmly hu-
morous phases of his enforced battle
and wild scramble for his life. Mrs
Handley says:
although as a forest officer F.
had frequently looked death In the
face. he never felt so utterly helpless
at the critical moment as he did in a
certain adventure that he had with
a bull bison. The animal took the
aggressive as soon as be was discov-
cred. F. had time only to jump be-
hind buttress tree.
.The bison began by chasing him
round the tree till his head swan.
The animal gave him not moments
leisure IN which to take aim. The
buttress tree is not easy to climb, for
the trunk throws out walls or but
tresses all round, between which are
deep recesses. To be caught In one
of them would certainly mean being
pinned to the tree and gored to death
''Half an hour Of this exercise did
not tire the bison In the least, where
as from moment to moment f. grew
dlzzler. Knowing that he could not
keep II up much longer and that
fall would be fatal. he started to run |
in another direction. Quick as he |
was. the bull was quicker. Suddenly |
f. felt a touch on his back. Then he
felt himself caught up by the belt
and tossed high into the air.
Luckily the belt gave way, for 9th
erwise be would have been brought
down again, to be either tossed once
more or gored. AS 1t was, he was
thrown to a distance, while his rifle,
flying out Of his hand, struck with
ring on a rock. From where
he lay, Jared almost into a stupor, Il.
saw the angry bull go up to the rifle
md trample it into a ruin Of splintered
rood ond twisted from
"The bison then turned his angry
,yes about and advanced toward f.,
Who thought himself powerless to stir.
At the last moment, however, he
managed to scramble up from under
he creatures very nose.
"Near at hand were his men, one OF
whom carried his spare rife. This man
his opportunity, darted side
wise, dropped the gun into the grass
md placed a stick upright beside 1t
70 mark the spot where 1t lay. Mean
while all the others danced and
shouted in order to distract the bulls
attention.
Running his best, f. must now
needs stumble, but Re picked himself
up and turned round to see what was
In store for him. Before he could slip
to one side the bull plunged at him,
knocking him down, and stood over
him, with the foam from his mouth
lropplng into his face.
"The huge brown head bent lower
md lower till the blOodshot eyes were
.urned downward.
"F. had no time to think. He had
10 do whatever the moment suggested.
He grasped the horns, was raised up
by them and balanced for an age long
second in the air; then, partly thrown,
partly springing to earth, he tore
ahead without stopping to look behind
him.
"As he ran toward the rife placed
ready for him the pounding Of hOofs
behind suddenly ceased, although the
believing and snorting were redou-
bled. He turned to look, and at the
same instant the mems cries turned |
from despair to Joy, The bull had |
trapped himself
'In his blind fury, needless Of his |
own steps, he had fallen nearly chest |
deep into wedge shaped creyice in
the rock, with all his feet in a bunch,
and the more he struggled the tighter
he stuck. 1t was the work Of moment
for f, to seize the rifle and fire the
shot that put the bison out Of his mis-
cry"