A Bear Story

Have you ever hunted in the Rocky Mountains of Montana? Ofcourseyou have not, and you may not even know where Montana is located. "VVell, it is very iar out West, and one of our most northern Territories, lying up against the British Possessions. It is a great place for game - and e3pecially bears. One day in the -winter of 1877, we set out to have one of the most rernarkable bear hunts on record - in ancientor modern times. Our party consisted of old hunters, trappers and guides, and we were deternained to have some rare times - the ordinary method of taking game having become stale and tiresome to most of us. We wouud up into the sublime mouutains bordering Eastern Montana, and stopped just on the line of Wyoming Territory. The scenery all around U3 was grand and picturesque in the extreme, and the mighty mountains lay pilod one behind the other, until their peales seemed to pierce the sky. Having selected our camp under some huge shelving rocks, by a clear, running stream, and made ev(!rything snug, we began to tbink of operations against the wild denizens of the vicinity. A rugged path was found in a secluded spot, which was well marked with game-tracks, and this wc i'ollowed until we carne to a rough pine-tree, with wide, projecting limbs. In the tree we bored a hole, with a t'hree-inch auger, and fllled it with honeycomb. Then we killed a fat cowelk, and placed the carca near the tree, and in front of the honey deposit. Determiued to leave nothing to chance, we went out to hunt one of those rare and beautiful animáis known as the Rocky Mountain goat. They live high up above vegetation, and we had to climb f ar up the mountain before fmding one. I soon gave out, and sat down; but two of our party, intrepid hunters, went up to the peak, and several hundred feet above a fearful canon, on a cliff in the mountain-side, they discerned a band of twenty goats, playing and jumping from rock to rock. They would run out on a narrow ledge overhanging a precipice hundreds of feet deep, and then leap to a sharp pinaele and back again. The snow was on the grouud, and it was dangerous traveling. One false step, and the hunter would have slid down the snow and ice, and fallen thousands of feet to the valley belovv. Creeping out on the snow, inaking holes, as they went, with their knives, for a footing, our favorito hunters, Kid and AVhite, approached the goats, and, watching an opportunity, with the eye of an eagle, they, at the right moment, took unerring airn, and dropped one flne Montana goat dead in nis tracks. The buck lay on a narrow ledge, with a bank of snow intervening: It was like a glazier, frozen hard and smooth but the fearless hunter, Kid, cut holes with his knife and crept out to the carcass, descending to an angle of sixty legreas. To reach the game was notso difflculi as to get back. With a tomahawk and scalpingknife, the holes in the ice wero deepen ed, and slowly up the snow-slide the hunter came, dragging the buck, little by little at a time, after him. A wa ver of the eye, a relaxation of the muscles, would have launched the brave man to certain destruction. Once he slipped and slid quite a distance, but at last succeeded in grasping the stunted roots of a pine-tree, and drawing himself up until Jie could flx lus feet in the crevices of the rock. A f ter many narro w escapes he at length reaehed the flat land, and laid at the feet of nis companion a fine, t at gout. The blood was spurting f rom the enüs of his fingere, and he was completely exhausted, but, after a little rest, said he was ready to return to camp. Those who have not seen a Rocky Mountain goat may wish to know what they are liko. Tliey are about the size of a small sheep, and their wool is white as snow, out-ri valling in flneness the fleece of the cashmere goat, These animáis cannot be tamed, and I have never seen even the llesh of one east of the Missouri Rlvej. Dressing the goat, by taking out his entrails, the carcass was placed beside the dead elk in front of our honeytree. Xow, it may seem to the reader that we had gone to a great deal of trouble to get a niountain goat, only to have it eaten by wild beasts, but yon must know there is nothing tho Rocky Mountain lions and bears are so fond of as the flesh of the mountain goat. Tliey will come for miles to eat it, and seem to have the power to sinell the goat a long way off. We next ripped )pen the elk, and, letting his entrails fall out, dragged the body over the [round, in a large semicircle, markiug ;he trail as well as we öould with blood and bits of llesh. The body was then again placed before the honey-tree, and arranged in the most tempüng manner a few feet trom the root. We now prepared fov tl)e grand entertainment that was to follow our labors. A large, round stone, weighing about twenty-five pounds, was taken, and a ehaiu fastened securely around it. A rope was then r'astened to the chain, taken up and tied to a projecting limb of the tree. The stone was arranged so as to hang in front of the honey deposit. and about four biches from it. Taking the remainder of the honey, we laid a train from the elk and goat carcasses aloug the ground and up the tree to the auger-hole and lioney deposit. We next built a rude platform in the forks of a tree near by, and ascended to it to await the opening of the performance. The platform was our spectators' gallery, and the honey-tree the arena in which the grand combata were to come off. It was nearly dark when we had completed the arrangements, and we knew we must wait for night, as wild animáis very seldom leave their laira until after the sun has set. We talked and we sinoked, and time did not appear long until twilightdeepened into darkness, and the moon rose up bright and clear. Presently we heard the howl of a wolf in the distance, then the cry of a coyote, and lastly the scream of a panther which was quite near. We knew the animáis were leaving ïeir lairs for the night, and we looked t each other and smiled in anticipaon of the f un we were going to have. üd said we must all keep very quiet, nd ordered the pipes to bb put out. The first auimal that mada his ap)earance was a wolverine,orman-eater, s they are often ealled. He carne in n the trail at a run, and leaped into ie opening, seizins the carcasa of the k hm if it were alive and he feared it might escape; then a panther crept cauously to the opening, and peering jout for a moment, walked boldly up o the bait. Suddenly there was a roar up on the mountain-side, whtoh shook the hills nd causedthe coyote and wolf to stare and the lion to lay back his ears and rowl aavagely, They all knew that oice, and that the king of beasts, the ;reat grizzly bear of the Kocky Mounains wasapproaching the feast. Boldly he carne down from his cave n the rocks, bellowiug as he carne. Valking up to the elk and goat-meatïe le?ser animáis retired to a respect, 'ui dist anee, exceptthe man-eater, who ontinued to feast, wholly oblivious, pparently, of the préseme of the bear. This offended his majesty so that he aised his paw, and at one blow tum)led the man-eater over and over. Brun seeined in no hurry, but walked bout with a satisfied smile on #his ountenance. It was bright mooulight, and we could distinctly see every motion of the beasts; for, you must know, the moon up in the northern latitudes does not shine as it does in the East, but is so bright and clear a newspaper can easily be read al. night by its light. After eating some of the elk, the grizzlv smelt of the houey, and flnding the train, quiekly followed it up to the tree. A bear likes lioney better than anything else in the world, and Bruin carefully licked every drop off the bark. At length, flnding the rich deposit, he thrust his tongue eagerly into it, and instanüy became ravenous. The stone and chain coming in bis way, he rudely thrust thern aside with his paw. The stone swung out some distance, but, returning with two-fold force, hit the bear a blow on the ear which near]y knocked him down. Astounded at such audacity, the bear looked at the animáis, who had returned to feast on the elk and goat, and, evidently believing the impertinent man-eater had struck him, Bruin feil upon the little beast and almost killed him. His crie.3 were pitiful to hear, but we could not help laughing at the bear's ridiculous mistake. Having punished tbe little wolverine to his satisfaction, Bruin returned to ;he honey. The stone and chain still jothered hitn, and, being out of temper qow, he hit it a powerful blow, which sent it far out in the air. He had just squared hiraself for a üne meal, when the areoliti returning - guided by the chain - hit lam on the head and knocked liim completely down. Stunned and bleeding, he rose, and ihis time seemed to know what had hurt him. He at once engaged the aerolite, and fought it bravely for neariy half au liour, at the end of which time he retired, bleeding and bruised, and sat down to rest. The lion, now seeing the coast clear, returned to the elk, and soon found the honey He thrust the stone away, anc was hit by it in turn. "With a roar anc rage which seemed amazlng for a beasi so small, he sprang upon the aerolite bit it, hit it. and fought it until he was completely exhausted. It was a terriflc combat, and was renewed twie before the lion would give up. It would take too long to relate al the battles fought with that swinging stone by the wild beasts, and I can only add that no less than live bears and two liona engaged the stone before morning and each one cune off worsted; on with an eye out, another with the los of his teeth, another, claws, and so on The animáis became greatly excited at times, and had a free h'ght or tw among themselves - flghting, snapping, snarling, howling, screaming, and rolling over and over, until they made the raountains ring with their varlous noises. At length, tired out with the sport and f eeling aleepy, Kid gave the signa] and, cocking our rifles, we opened a ï'itpid flre on the animáis below. ïhere were yells and roars, but in a few minutes tliey ceased, and we descended f rom our percb. Five üead bears, a lynx, and a lion lay on the ground, and the night having turned out cold and windy, we did not stop to dress a skin then, but hactened to our camp, whore, tired out with the day's sport, we lay down to sleep.