The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-04-28

creek on the east side. While the
other two boys remained in camp to
cook the supper, I rode along the
Indian trail that skirted the edge of
the mountain. The trail crossed a
branch stream that descended the
steep wall and formed a meadow
with a clump of willows.
Il looked up the canyon and saw
a bear roofing on the site of the
tributary gulch. He was a grizzly
the biggest 1 ever saw-and he was
engaged in the innocent pastime of
turning over rocks to get worms and
other insects, as bears frequently do.
Felt Like a Cave Man
Il got off my pony and tied her
to a willow with a 60-foot rope I car
ried with me. Where 1 tied her she
was hidden from the bear. From
the willows I crawled up the bottom
of the gulch until, still on my hands
and knees, / was almost directly I'M
der the bear, who continued to dine
cafeteria style-on worms. Now
and then he turned over a boulder
that threatened to roll down and
crush me. No elephant at a circus
in my childhood days ever doomed
larger to me than that bear did then.
A short time before l had been read
ing a book that told of some of the
creatures as big as a house in the
earlier ages of the earth, and now |
imagined myself as puny as a cave
man in the presence of n of those
monsters. I was yet so yards away,
however. With the utmost precau-
fInn T nnf IN 49, .f4o4 -
broadside to the grizzly and leaning
way back 20 take aim at the high
angle necessary, 1 fired.
"The bear fell down and rolled
and over until he came to my
feet as / stood in the bottom of the
gulch. | had to jump to escape be-
ing crushed by his weight. l thought
he had been killed, as he made no
movement until he landed in a heap.
was standing calmly three feet
from him when he finished rolling.
Bruin Shows Fight
The next moment my blood ran
cold for the bear glared at me and
reared up on his hind legs. Still
glaring and showing his teeth and
with his fore paws reaching out for
an embrace, he came toward me as
took a backward step or two. I
no time to take aim, but I fired
as quickly as I could raise my rifle.
had hoped to hit him in the head,
out instead the bullet went through
lis right paw and broke his wrist.
almost touch him with my rifle as
wheeled and ran. The bear jumped
1t me and / seemed to feel his hot
breath as we both tumbled and rolled
ogether down the mountain.
The pony, hearing the racket, ran
round straight toward me until she
anne to the end of the rope. AS soon
IS | got off the steep part of the
mountain, I found l was able to out-
un bruin. When I reached the pony |
jumped into the saddle and was
If like a whirlwind for more than |
90 feet. Then 1 was precipitated
Ike a bolt from a catapult. My rifle
rent in one direction and 1 was
urled in another. When I regained
ly feet l found that the pony had
lned a complete somersault. 1t
Tas the rope, which | had completely
orgotten, that checked the pony
bruptly il its course. I was scarce
z on my feet when the bear was
pom US. Bruin appeared to be be-
ildered for a moment. Should he
lake for me to wreak his vengeance
for the horse?
Pony Biffs Bear in Nose
Apparently because the pony was
lie larger he gave the pony a slap on
lie hind quarters that left an ugly 4
or two and then, as the pony
ade a leap in the other direction,
3 grabbed a big piece of her tail,
hich he retained in his grasp. The
ony halted in her flight long enough
rise on her forelegs and plant I