Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 493, 10 January 1902 — GROGER HAS A CLOSE CALL FROM BRUN'S DEADLY HUG [ARTICLE]

GROGER HAS A CLOSE CALL FROM BRUN'S DEADLY HUG

By MURAT HALSTEAD.

■ OHN YOCKEY. a Carondelet I grocer returned from a months I hunting expedition in Colorado. y J of his outing a deerskin and h*-ad * th massive antlers, and the vk f n preserved hide*. c f a coyote, two le'arj- a beaver, a badger, a wildcat and a wolf. Of course there is a story In connection with each animal bagged. but the most thrilling was the encounter with the bear ■ i everything else in th* 1 regions of Colorado except one of these monsters So one morning with his dog he get forth Into the mountains "loaded for bar." as be expressed it. He had gotten pretty well tangled up among the rocks and shrubt>erv. and had not shot a* a thing for hours, when suddenly from be : a rock not twenty feet away a huge monster crossed bis path an 1 -am.- toward him with open mouth. The sportsman recognized in a minute that a desperate fight was on. for the beast bore unmistakable signs of extreme hunger. The thought had no more than crossed his mind than he grew somewhat nervous, and though an experienced hunter it was his first bear, and the thing was making right toward him. In an instant a rifle-shot rang out but to no purpose; another and another, but the beast had not been hit once, and the barking of the dog which was a cowardly animal, had not served to check th* 1 bear in her course. Mr. Yockey took the best course possible and fled, stopping occasionally to fire a shot at his pursuer. At last a bullet took effect in the Iwar's forearm and caused a lameness and a slacking of her speed, for it was a female, as the hunter afterward found. The last bullet had been fired from his Winchester, and he was retreating too rapidly to reload. Finally, as he sped along he noticed a cave in the side of the hill and big boulders lying about its mouth. He decided to enter this, roll a rock to the entrance, reload and open fire from his breastworks. His dog still barked at a safe distance from the brute, who. despite he r wound, had not lost ground; but, ■ v Mr Vnckev is a heavy-set man.

socr. cr EEftced to overtake him. Tc enter the cav* on ban is and knees and with superhuman effort roll a stone to the entrance was the work of - me seconds, and while he tegg-d an: tugged the pursuer seem**! to rush on with redoubled speed, and seeing him in the cave set up the moat terrific grow!. The growl seem ed to be a signal of some kind. for. bark in the darkness of the cavern, there came echoing cries of other monsters. Mr. Yockey found himself between two fires. A wounded, infuriated beast approaching without and unknown monsters making demonstrations within. He faltered an instant at the rock and stood aghast, but flnallv decided to risk the unknown rather than the wounded beast. The rock was finally in its place, and t 'hough he could see oat, and had r im for his dog to get through, the f ar could not get in. As his eyes uecame more accustomed to the light he distinguished at the end of the cave two cubs lying in their nest. He breathed easier, for he took his chance in locking himseif in with unknown monsters. He thought at the time, however, that their voices sounded weak. But the bear was already pushing at the rock, and the cubs were crying piteously, making the old one’s efforts more frantic. Mr. Yockey realized that he had gotten into the nest of the bear now growling furiously without, and all the time the danger increased, for already the mate had answered, and before long there would be two instead of one prowling around without, Finally he got his rifle reloaded. and had mortally wounded the mother of the cubs just as her mate appeared at the mouth of the cave enraged But he was a sharp one. and remained out of reach, determined. it seemed, to stand on guard and starve the hunter out. Finally Mr. Yockey decided to make a bold stand. With some difficulty he rolled the rock back and crawled hastily forward. The bear was on him in a moment, and in another in stant he would have been wrapped in the monster's paws before he could have aimed his gun. had not some oth«T hunter on the outside, attracted by the ferocious growls, arrived and put a bullet in bruin’s heart just as his shaggy form closed in upon Mr. YockeV.