Evening star., 1924-01-27

TupDcu HlIIlSeII 20 ana frO, the
! tree swayed like g. reed, and as he
! lifted his nose ] observed that Il Just
| touched one of the lower branches.
| In the morning, after he had gone
| and we were on our way to camp we
| passed this very fir, and, stretching
| up on my tip toes, I could just touch
the limb with my fingers. Having
+, been a pole-vaulter in my youth, 1
| knew by experience that this meas
urement was over seven feet six
| inches. He was a real he-bear, We
| wanted him more than ever.
X \ kS
WE went to the blind about an
w hour before midnight OF the day
! following, feeling that surely this
evening the big fellow would come.
| After two hours of frigidity and I'm
mobility, we heard the velvet foot
| falls of bear coming up the canyon
| There came a patrician she-bear, the
| most beautiful we had ever seen, and
| her royal family. Tho little fellows
| pattered up the trail before their
| mother. They came within range. 7
| signaled Young. and we shot to-
! gether at the cubs. We struck.
| There was a squeal, a roar, a tumble
| Of shadowy figures, and the entire
! flock Of bears came tumbling in our
( direction.
At that very moment the BIZ
/ grizzly appeared on the scene There
/ We're five bears in sight. Turning
! her head from side 70 side trying 10
/ find her enemy, the she hear came
( toward US | whispered TO Young.
| Shoot the big fellow" At the same
| time / drew an arrow TO the heas
, and drove IT at the oncoming female.
! 1t struck her full in the chest. She
! reared, threw herself sidewise, bel
! lowed with rage, staggered and fell
| to the ground She rose again, weak
/ ened. stumbled forward, and with
| great gasps she died. In less than
half a minute It was all over Tho
| little ones ran up the hill past US
| One later returned and sat up at It's
! mothers head. then disappeared in
| the dark forever.
| While all this transpired the mon
! ster grizzly was romping back and
! forth in the shaded forest not molt
! than sixty-fve yards away With
/ deep, booming growls like distant
thunder, he voiced his anger and in
! tent to kill. As he fitted between
| the shadows of the tree, the moon
! light gIinted on his massive body.
1 He was enormous.
! Young discharged three arrows 1T
/ him. I shot two. We should hsyn
! landed, he was 81 large. But he gal
ioped OFF and l saw my last arrow AT
the point blank range Of seventy-fiv"
yards fall between his legs. He was
gone. We thought We had missed the
beast and grief descended heavy upon
us The thought Of all the weary days
and nights Of hunting and waiting. and
now to have lost him, was painful in
deed,
| At daybreak we searched for the cubs
and found one dead under log with
an arrow through his brain. The others
| had disappeared.
! We had no idea that we hit the great
bear but just to gather up our shafts
we went over the ground where he
had BEEN.
| One of Young's arrows was missing.
| That gave US thrill: perhaps We
had hit him after ALL We went fur
| ther i'll the direction he had gone; there
was trace of blood.
| We trailed him. We knew IL was
dangerous business. Through clunnps
Of jack pines we cautiously followed.
! peering under every pile of brush and
| fallen tree. Deep into the forest We
| .rached him. where his bloody smear
| was left upon fallen logs. Soon We
found where he had rested. Then we
| discovered the fore part Of Young's
arrow. 1t had gone through him.
/ There was pool of blood. Then We
found the feathered butt which he had
drawn out with his teeth.
Four times he had wallowed down in
| the mud or soft earth to rest and cool
his wound. Then beneath great fir
he had made bed in the soft loan and
left it. Past this we could not track
him. We hunted high and low, but
| no trace of him could we find. Ap-
parently he had ceased bleeding and
his footprints were not recorded on the
stony ground about. We made wide
circles, hoping to pick up his trail
We searched UP and down the creek
We cross-cut every forest path and
| runway. but no vestige remained.
!: 4 x
lHE was gone. We even looked up
i'll the tree and down in the ground
where he had wallowed. For ffve
hours we searched in vain. and at last.
| worn with disappointment and fatigue
we lay down and slept on the very spot
where he last stopped
Near sundown we awoke. ate a little
| food. and started all over again to find
| the great bear We retraced our steps
and followed the fading evidence till
! II brought us again TO the pit beneath
the fir tree. He must be near II was
absolutely impossible for any animal
| have lost so much blood and travel
| more than few hundred yards past
, this spot As we climbed over the face
| of the rock we saw ciot of dried
| blood. We let ourselves down the sheer =
| descent, came upon narrow little
ledge. and there below US lay the huge
monster on his back, against boulder
cold and stiff, as dead as Caesar. Our
hearts nearly burst.
| There lay the largest grizzly bear
| in Wyoming. dead at our feet. His
! rugged coat was matted with blood
! Well back in his chest the narr1H
wound showed clear. ] measured
] him: twenty-six inches OF bear had
| been pierced through and throughS
! One arrow killed him. IL
| He was tremendous. His great wide
head; his worn, glistening teeth; his
massive arms; his vast, ponderous
1