Year: 1868

4 GrouSe Hunt and big Scare.
In the month ofSeptember, 1859, while


l was lettering around my ''cabin home" I"


In Plumas county, California, l thought


to relieve the monotony of June


morning by a stroll in the pine forest,


with my little doube-barrel No. 13, in


search OF grouse. / climbed to the sum-


NIT OF mountain east of my cabin, and


following the ridge north about a half


mile, heard some grouse in the trees
ahead OF me; and after looking closely


Tor some time l saw. one sitting en- a


limb with its body against the back OF


the tree, which seems TO be favorite


position of this birA Itook an unsports-
manllke advantages of it, and shot it


while In that position; but am satisfied
that all who ever hunted grouse in the
pine forests OF California Will acuuit me
of all blame in this matter. for those
birds are only found in the manner above
described, and cannot, therefore, be sue
cessfully hunted with dog. They are
very hard to scare off the tree W here first
found, and will then sail off some distance
and perch themselves up in some other
tree in like manner so the best motto to
go upon there is, shoot when you see
them.


l acted upon that and brought him
down; or, as Pat has it, ''set him on
foot" and as | started after it, 10 and be-
hold! just beyond and about twenty
PAGES from it stood a grizzly bear!-
Bruin was eyeing the grouse and my
self alternately showed no signs Of re-
treating, and seemed to care nothing
about my superior claims 10 the grouse
L have been frightened great many
times, but do not think my heart ever
got SO far up in my throat, or my hair
ever stood us straight as 1t that moment.
L was not the least bit scared, Of course,
but was struck,,with awe and admiration
at the huge proportions of tho noble ami
NAL. He seemed to me as big as Fire.
mont's Peak, and his eyes looked like
two prairie fires. l stood and looked
upon that mountain OF flesh and hair,
and felt that indeed the works Of Nature
are manifold. | sincerely wished, for
Barnum's pecuniary benefit, and to graf
ify the curious, that he was securely Gagged
in Barnum's Museum. When recover
ed from my reYerie l discovered that /
had not been standing gazing at the
grizzly animal but instead had taken to
hight, and had not been very particular
in selecting my road, for was then near
my cabin, without my gun or hat, my
coat and pants almost tern off me by the
manzineted brush through which L had
been running, and my hands and face
bleeding protusely. | got very brave
then, and was quite ashamed to go into
cabin aud tell my partners what | had
went through. L washed in little
stream that rippled past the cabin door,
and putting on as straight face as L
could under the circumstances, [. went
in and told Tom, who had large rifle,
that | had seen "a grizzly up on the noun
tain, and asked HIM to go with ME and
kill it.


He was always ready for such sport,
and without noticing my personal ap-
pearance, he shouldered his rifle and fol
lowed me. l led the way, thinking all
the time what excuse could offer for
my conduct, and fearing every moment
that Tom would ask NE where my gun
was, or what tore my pants SO, or some
thing of that kind, and trying to fall up
on some good apology, before fully re-
allied that J was conducting him to the
spot where | got-go-t so-eh-lost in
thought, and that we were at the very
place whereI Shot my first grouse. l
showed Tom where he was, aud then in
order to sSe more clearly the effect that
Il bullet fifei from his rifle would have
upon the phiz of old Bruin, l climbed
tree and told Tom to shoot. ''Bc cool
and take good aim," when bang went
the gun and down fell Mr.. Bruin dead as
a dried Goldfish. The ball took effect
just above the right eye, and penetrated
the brain, killing him instantly. He was
a very large bear, weighing six hundred
and fifty pounds, and as poor as Mexi-
can peon or a journeyman printer. l
found my gun and hat, and the boys
soon found out the joke, aud bored me
SO about it that | had to stand treat
every time we went to town. Bear
hHnting is not my FORTE. and failing to
see any sport in hunting grouse that
sit OH trees as if they were knots grown
fast to them, ! never indulyed in it after
that. .t....f ....., "