An interesting couple of entries from days past on Grizzlies from the journals of two fellas up on a river in Montana :
#1 (Captain Lewis, 12 May 1805)
Captain Lewis, 12in to of the rear canoes discovered a large brown bear lying in the open grounds about 300 paces from the river, and six of them went out to attack him -all good hunters. They took the advantage of a small eminence which concealed them, and got within 40 paces of Bear's oil was a much used edible fat for many years. The Cherokees liked the oil of the black bear-of which a single animal might yield 15 gallons. Oil from Plains grizzlies was sold in New Orleans for many years. Indians sometimes flavored bear's oil with sassafras. An eighteenth-century white traveler remarks that it was "sweet and wholesome" and never cloyed the palate him, unperceived. Two of them reserved their fires as had been previously concerted; the four others fired nearly at the same time, and put each his bullet through him. Two of the balls passed through the bulk of both lobes of his lungs.
In an instant, this monster ran at them with open mouth. The two who had reserved their fires discharged their pieces at him as he came toward them. Both of them struck him-one only slightly, and the other, fortunately, broke his shoulder. This, however, only retarded his motion for a moment. The men, unable to reload their guns, took to flight. The bear pursued, and had very nearly overtaken them before they reached the river. Two of the party betook themselves to a canoe, and the others separated and concealed them selves among the willows, [and] reloaded their pieces; each discharged his piece at him as they had an opportunity. They struck him several times again, but the guns served only to direct the bear to them. In this manner he pursued two of them, separately, so dose that they were obliged to throw away their guns and pouches, and throw themselves into the river, although the bank was nearly twenty feet perpendicular. So enraged was this animal that he plunged into the river only a few feet behind the second man he had compelled to take refuge in the water.
When one of those who still remained on shore shot him through the head and finally killed him, they then took him on shore and butchered him, when they found eight balls had passed through him in different directions.)
#2 Game becoming more abundant this morning, I thought it best now to lose no time or suffer an opportunity to escape in providing the necessary quantity of elk skins to cover my leather boat, which I now expect I shall be obliged to use shortly. Accordingly, I walked on shore most of the day with some of the hunters for that purpose, and killed 6 elk, 2 buffalo, 2 mule deer, and a bear. These animals were all in good order. We therefore took as much of the meat as our canoes and pirogues could conveniently carry.
The bear was very near catching Drouilliard. It also pursued Charbonneau,who fired his gun in the air as he ran but fortunately eluded the vigilance of the bear, by secreting himself very securely in the bushes, until Drouilliard finally killed it by a shot in the head--the only shot, indeed, that will conquer the ferocity of those tremendous animals.
Captain Lewis, 2 June 1805
#1 (Captain Lewis, 12 May 1805)
Captain Lewis, 12in to of the rear canoes discovered a large brown bear lying in the open grounds about 300 paces from the river, and six of them went out to attack him -all good hunters. They took the advantage of a small eminence which concealed them, and got within 40 paces of Bear's oil was a much used edible fat for many years. The Cherokees liked the oil of the black bear-of which a single animal might yield 15 gallons. Oil from Plains grizzlies was sold in New Orleans for many years. Indians sometimes flavored bear's oil with sassafras. An eighteenth-century white traveler remarks that it was "sweet and wholesome" and never cloyed the palate him, unperceived. Two of them reserved their fires as had been previously concerted; the four others fired nearly at the same time, and put each his bullet through him. Two of the balls passed through the bulk of both lobes of his lungs.
In an instant, this monster ran at them with open mouth. The two who had reserved their fires discharged their pieces at him as he came toward them. Both of them struck him-one only slightly, and the other, fortunately, broke his shoulder. This, however, only retarded his motion for a moment. The men, unable to reload their guns, took to flight. The bear pursued, and had very nearly overtaken them before they reached the river. Two of the party betook themselves to a canoe, and the others separated and concealed them selves among the willows, [and] reloaded their pieces; each discharged his piece at him as they had an opportunity. They struck him several times again, but the guns served only to direct the bear to them. In this manner he pursued two of them, separately, so dose that they were obliged to throw away their guns and pouches, and throw themselves into the river, although the bank was nearly twenty feet perpendicular. So enraged was this animal that he plunged into the river only a few feet behind the second man he had compelled to take refuge in the water.
When one of those who still remained on shore shot him through the head and finally killed him, they then took him on shore and butchered him, when they found eight balls had passed through him in different directions.)
#2 Game becoming more abundant this morning, I thought it best now to lose no time or suffer an opportunity to escape in providing the necessary quantity of elk skins to cover my leather boat, which I now expect I shall be obliged to use shortly. Accordingly, I walked on shore most of the day with some of the hunters for that purpose, and killed 6 elk, 2 buffalo, 2 mule deer, and a bear. These animals were all in good order. We therefore took as much of the meat as our canoes and pirogues could conveniently carry.
The bear was very near catching Drouilliard. It also pursued Charbonneau,who fired his gun in the air as he ran but fortunately eluded the vigilance of the bear, by secreting himself very securely in the bushes, until Drouilliard finally killed it by a shot in the head--the only shot, indeed, that will conquer the ferocity of those tremendous animals.
Captain Lewis, 2 June 1805
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