
A FALL-OUT WITH A GRIZZLY 
as he was their leader, they may take a notion 
to come back. But if they do they will be 
awfully shy, and I will have to resort to 
some of my best Indian tactics to get in 
range of them. I'll go up here a short way 
and cross the gorge, while you go below, 
and we'll meet at the rock.” 
I must have gone down the gorge a-- 
quarter of a mile before I could find a 
place to cross, as the sides were rough and 
rugged, with sharp-pointed rocks “which 
made it a difficult matter to find secure 
footing. Finally I found a good place, 
where I crossed without much trouble, and 
I had just reached the top of the gorge on 
the other side when I heard the report of 
Joe’s gun. But it was farther south than 
the direction of the gorge, which made me 
think he had stalked the band of sheep. 
As he had said we would meet at the 
rock, I started in that direction, and I had 
gone about halfway when I heard his 
“Halloo.” The call came from the same 
direction as the report of his shot had 
come. I answered, and turned that way, 
and as I topped the ridge that formed the 
outer edge of the gorge, I saw quite a 
grove of spruce trees at the head of a gulch 
that ran down to the southeast. I could 
see nothing of Joe, so I called out to him. 
His answer came back: 
“Look out, Lon! Be careful; I’m treed 
by a wounded grizzly.” 
Joe had told me of the fury of a wounded 
grizzly, and his warning completely para- 
lyzed me with fear; for a few minutes I was 
incapable of thought or action. My first 
impulse was to turn and flee. But the 
next moment I realized that I must help 
Joe. 
For a few moments I exerted all my 
faculties to decide upon the best way to 
get near Joe without being discovered by 
the bear. The first thought that came to 
my aid was that the wind was blowing down 
the gorge, and there was not so much danger 
of the bear scenting my approach, and he 
would not be so apt to hear me. These 
thoughts so cheered me that I began to lose 
some of the great fear that had taken 
possession of me, and I cautiously crept 
through the brush toward the direction 
from which Joe’s warning had come. 
I got over the ridge and entered the grove 
53 
Or 
without seeing either Joe or the bear, but 
seeing a break in the ground to the left, I 
carefully moved toward that; and saw it 
was the edge of the gulch. My thoughts 
went wool-gathering again, and I found 
myself fingering a frayed buttonhole of 
my coat and gazing about me, open 
mouthed. I thought to call out to Joe 
again, but my tongue clove to the roof of 
my mouth, and I realized I was scared 
almost out of my wits. I leaned against a 
tree and tried to brace up and think what 
other men would do in my place? But in 
a moment Joe’s voice rang out sharply: 
“‘Climb a tree, and hang onto your gun! 
Be quick, for the bear has discovered 
you.” 
I needed no second warning, and made 
amazing time going up the very tree I had 
been leaning against, which was a small 
one and easy for me to climb. But I made 
a sad mistake that I did not take more time 
and climb a larger one. 
When I got into the tree, I saw Joe up 
another tree, but his gun was on the ground. 
The bear was about half way between him 
and me, and when it saw that I also was 
up a tree it was undecided which way to go. 
It was a most ferocious-looking beast, but 
my fear of it, now that it was in sight, was 
not nearly so great as had been the knowl- 
edge of its presence without seeing it. 
“Now, Lon,” called Joe, cheerily, ‘‘take 
careful aim at him behind the shoulder, 
and be sure to hang onto the tree; for if you 
don’t use him up pretty bad he will make. 
a rush for your tree, and you don’t want to 
let him shake you down.” 
I put my left arm around the main stem 
of the tree, and, resting my old Sharp’s 
rifle over a limb, I aimed at the grizzly’s 
big body and fired. But the heavy bullet 
seemed only to make it more furious, and, 
as Joe said, it made a rush for me. When 
it reached the tree it reared up on its hind 
legs and threw its great bulk against it, 
which gave it such a shock that in spite of 
my desperate efforts to hang on, my hold 
was broken. I fell within a yard of the 
edge of the gulch, and still held to my 
rifle. But before I could make a move to 
get away, the bear was almost upon me, 
and seeing there was no escape I made a 
desperate lunge at his mouth with the 
