RECREATION 



Volume XVL 



APRIL, 1902. 

 G. 0. SHIELDS COQtrOFA , Editor 



J.".."-*- -.. 



THE HUNTED HUNTER. 



J. v, 



Our sheep camps were 40 or 50 

 miles South of Bent's old fort, on the 

 Arkansas river. The country was 

 broken and cut up with canyons. For 

 sportsmen it was indeed a happy 

 hunting ground. Every fall the great 

 migratory buffalo herd, after cr 

 ing the Arkansas, would spread out 

 ew rottte to the Canadian count : md 

 the L/awo Estacado, or staked plains. 

 Countless numbers of antelope, mule 

 deer and Virginia deer, a few elk and 

 bear, wild turkeys and sage hens fur- 

 nished unlimited sport, as '-veil as 

 meat, for the herders. The sheep 

 were divided into several herds, one 

 of which was visited each day. Re- 

 turning from one of my daily tramps, 

 I was walking through a large canyon 

 from wdiich smaller ones opened out 

 on either side. When within a short 

 distance of the home camp a fair s:~ I 

 mule buck broke cover from a bunch 

 of willows almost within reach of my 

 gun, and so startled me I did not 

 think of shooting until he disappeared 

 into a side canyon about 100 yards 

 ahead. Walking along leisurely until 

 I reached the mouth of the canyon, I 

 saw my deer within easy range, and 

 dropped him with a bullet just back 

 of the shoulders, but as I approached 

 he sprang to his feet and ran on and 

 around a bend. I followed and found 

 him apparently dead; so I took off 

 my cartridge belt, drew my knife 

 from the scabbard and hung the belt 

 over the muzzle of my rifle, which I 

 leaned against the rocks. When I 

 started to bleed the buck he struggled 



to his : : : t aga - to or great a 



ishment, and moved on 25 or 30 

 rand . - : ; fell. While he 



breathing his last I looked a r . . - . 



anC BSCG : ' : - - :.";'_." ; . 



. . or blind one, tr. 1 . ~ 

 ing the inlet. I ped - - 1 aad 



iras cutting some tobac . . ' ; r ^ 

 smoke, when a noise behind x 

 caused me to look around, and fberc 

 alongside of my r: ie is ai 

 grizzly, standing on her hind legs 

 ind .- a : - - - a: ^ : d r" - ard . - Eresl 

 r.iea: . ■: =.= not : . ai .-■- a i ) . e - 

 bo, yet at the moment s : as 



if she nearly filled the canyon, which 

 was over 20 yards wide. I ha 1 read 

 of combats be! ees men arme \ : ~ 

 with a knife and leai speck 



but no such plan entered my mind. 

 A vision of a ladder flashed thrc 

 my brain, and a good many ; 

 thoughts as It seem - _ se a 



time, yet I rea " had h 1 1 a fe sec- 

 onds to study the ' ire the 

 bear started for me, and I for the end 

 of the canyon, ai " ; ards 

 tant. As I ran toward the perpen- 

 dicular wall I saw a ledge pre - ig 

 out, about 10 feet from the ground 

 I leaped for it and caught it, but my 

 fingers slipped an 1 3 : wn I —tr.:. I 

 tried again and missed I ;: the th - 

 time I soccee . - getting a firm 

 hold and scrambling up on the shelf, 

 which was about a foot wide and 3 

 or 4 feet long \rr : ird I 

 i not have climbed it had I not 

 worn moccasins, which enabled me 

 to get a toe hold in a crevice. As I 



2Jf) 



