WATCHING THE NEW YEAR IN. 



RUPE BARMBY. 



One winter I spent a few weeks, with 

 some friends, among the foothills on the 

 Eastern slope of the Rocky mountains. Be- 

 fore the snow set in we were nicely settled 

 in a comfortable shack, with a good line of 

 traps established. By New Year's I felt 

 fairly well acquainted with the woods about 

 our camp. The day before that popular hol- 

 iday was warm and pleasant, so I determined 

 to spend it in wandering about with my rifle 

 in the hope of securing fresh meat for the 

 following day. 



I did not meet with prompt success. I 

 tramped until late in the afternoon, yet 

 no game of any kind crossed my path. As I 

 was about to give up for the day in disap- 

 pointment and turn homeward empty 

 handed, I suddenly found myself face to face 

 with an enormous grizzly bear. 



Where he came from and how it happened 

 he was not hibernating, I do not know; but 

 there he was, and his sudden appearance 

 startled me not a little. Nevertheless. I did 

 not wait to allow my nerves to become un- 

 steadied. Instantly raising my rifle. I took 

 quick aim between the eyes and pulled the 

 trigger. 



I was armed with a muzzle loading rifle of 

 the " Old Kentucky " pattern, using round 

 ball and percussion cap, and as so frequently 

 happened with these weapons when long ex- 

 posed to the weather, my rifle snapped and 

 missed fire. The bear became infuriated and 

 rushed at me. 



I dropped my gun and made a wild dash 

 for the nearest sapling. I gained the lower 

 branches just in time, for in another mo- 

 ment the bear would have had me in his 

 powerful grip. Finding he had lost me for 

 the time being, he adopted new tactics, and. 



sitting calmly down beneath the tree, waited 

 for me to descend or to drop from my perch 

 through numbness from the cold. 



All night we sat thus, the bear biding his 

 time, and I cramped and shivering with the 

 cold on my lofty perch. That was the most 

 uncomfortable night I ever spent in my life. 

 I had been inclined to grumble at the 

 meagre accommodations of our shack, yet 

 after that night I felt wonderfully content 

 with my surroundings. 



In the gray of the morning I heard the 

 rifle of one of my companions, away in the 

 distance, fired as a signal for me. Never has 

 sweeter music rung in my ears. It rilled me 

 with renewed hope, and, forgetting my voice 

 could not reach so far, I shouted with all 

 the strength of my lungs. A curious fact 

 about the grizzly, which I did not know at 

 that time, but which I have since had occa- 

 sion to note, is that he stands in abject ter- 

 ror of the human voice. 



When my captor heard that ringing shout 

 for help he gave me an awestricken look 

 which I shall never forget, and made off at 

 the top of his speed into the woods. As 

 soon as he was well out of the way I der 

 scended the tree, gained possession of my 

 gun again, and answered the signal of my 

 partner. When he found me and explana- 

 tions had been made we set out on the 

 trail of the bear, but never caught sight 

 of him. He had heard enough to satisfy 

 him. 



My companions of the expedition were 

 inclined to joke me about my escapade, but 

 I always got- the better of them by declaring 

 that I had merely followed the usual custom 

 of watching the old year out and the new 

 year in. 



A FLORIDA GARTER SNAKE. 



THOTO BY \V. E. CARLIN. 



