EARLY DAY STORIES. 171 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

 Two Black Hills Bear Stories. 



No. 1. 



All of the stories written thus far are recollections of my 

 own past experiences, and are true to the letter in every re- 

 spect — this story, with the one to follow, will be told as told 

 to me by others who took part in the things that occurred 

 but will, I believe, be true and faithful descriptions of the 

 events related. 



This is to be a bear story. I cannot tell a bear story 

 from my own knowledge because it never has been my good 

 fortune to have had any experience in hunting bears. Hence 

 it is necessary to give this story at second hand, or leave it 

 out altogether. 



Along about 1882, or may be, somewhat later, there was 

 a man living in the vicinity of Tilden by the name of William 

 Smith. Many of the Tilden people will no doubt remem- 

 ber him — he run a threshing machine for two or three years 

 for Allen Hopkins, and while doing threshing for the farm- 

 ers I became acquainted with him. Later he moved to the 

 Black Hills, and squatted on a tract of land at the eastern 

 foot of Elk mountain in extreme western South Dakota. I 

 have passed in sight of his place several times while on hunt- 

 ing trips to the Hills, and once made him a neighborly call, 

 for old acquaintance sake, and by invitation stayed to dinner. 

 He told me all about the bear hunt that will be here related, 

 and showed me the tanned skins of the three bears that were 

 killed upon that occasion. I did not take down notes of our 

 conversation at the time, as I then had no idea of writing 

 out the story. However, about a year ago I thought of put- 



