one day, while wandering in the pine woods on the slope of mt. meeker, i came upon two young grizzly bears. though they dodged about as lively as chickens, i at last cornered them in a penlike pocket of fallen trees.
getting them into a sack was one of the liveliest experiences i ever had. though small and almost starved, these little orphans proceeded to "chew me up" after the manner of big grizzlies, as is told of them in books. after an exciting chase and tussle, i would catch one and thrust him into the sack. in resisting, he would insert his claws into my clothes, or thrust them through the side of the sack; then, while i was trying to tear him loose, or to thrust him forcibly in, he would lay hold of a finger, or take a bite in my leg. whenever he bit, i at once dropped him, and then all began over again.
their mother had been killed a few days before i found them; so, of course, they were fam[pg 208]ished and in need of a home; but so bitterly did they resist my efforts that i barely succeeded in taking them. though hardly so large as a collie when he is at his prettiest, they were nimble athletes.
at last i started home, the sack over my shoulder, with these lively ursus horribilis in the bottom of it. their final demonstration was not needed to convince me of the extraordinary power of their jaws. nevertheless, while going down a steep slope, one managed to bite into my back through sack and clothes, so effectively that i responded with a yell. then i fastened the sack at the end of a long pole, which i carried across my shoulder, and i was able to travel the remainder of the distance to my cabin without another attack in the rear.
of course the youngsters did not need to be taught to eat. i simply pushed their noses down into a basin of milk, and the little red tongues at once began to ply; then raw eggs and bread were dropped into the basin. there was no hesitation between courses; they simply gobbled the food as long as i kept it before them.[pg 209]
jenny and johnny were pets before sundown. though both were alert, johnny was the wiser and the more cheerful of the two. he took training as readily as a collie or shepherd-dog, and i have never seen any dog more playful. all bears are keen of wit, but he was the brightest one of the wild folk that i have ever known. he grew rapidly, and ate me almost out of supplies. we were intimate friends in less than a month, and i spent much time playing and talking with him. one of the first things i taught him was, when hungry, to stand erect with arms extended almost horizontally, with palms forward. i also taught him to greet me in this manner.
one day, after two weeks with me, he climbed to the top of a pole fence to which he was chained. up there he had a great time; he perched, gazed here and there, pranced back and forth, and finally fell off. his chain tangled and caught. for a few seconds he dangled in the air by the neck, then slipped through his collar and galloped off up the mountainside and quickly disappeared in the woods. i supposed[pg 210] he was gone for good. although i followed for several hours, i did not even catch sight of him.
johnny and jenny johnny and jenny
this little boy had three days of runaway life, and then concluded to return. hunger drove him back. i saw him coming and went to meet him; but kept out of sight until he was within twenty feet, then stepped into view. apparently a confused or entangled mental condition followed my appearance. his first impulse was to let me know that he was hungry by standing erect and outstretching his arms; this he started hastily to do.
in the midst of this performance, it occurred to him that if he wanted anything to eat he must hurry to me; so he interrupted his first action, and started to carry his second into instant effect. these incomplete proceedings interrupted and tripped one another three or four times in rapid succession. though he tumbled about in comic confusion while trying to do two things at once, it was apparent through all that his central idea was to get something to eat.
and this, as with all boys, was his central idea much of the time. i did not find anything [pg 211] that he would not eat. he simply gobbled scraps from the table,—mountain sage, rhubarb, dandelion, and apples. of course, being a boy, he liked apples best of all.
if i approached him with meat and honey upon a plate and with an apple in my pocket, he would smell the apple and begin to dance before me, ignoring the eatables in sight. instantly, on permission, he would clasp me with both fore paws and thrust his nose into the apple pocket. often, standing between him and jenny, i alternately fed each a bit. a few times i broke the regular order and gave jenny two bits in succession. at this johnny raged, and usually ended by striking desperately at me; i never flinched, and the wise little rogue made it a point each time to miss me by an inch or two. a few other people tried this irritating experiment with him, but he hit them every time. however, i early tried to prevent anything being done that teased or irritated him. visitors did occasionally tease him, and frequently they fed the two on bad-temper-producing knickknacks.
occasionally the two quarreled, but not more[pg 212] frequently than two ordinary children; and these quarrels were largely traceable to fight-producing food mixtures. anyway, bears will maintain a better disposition with a diet of putrid meat, snakes, mice, and weeds than upon desserts of human concoction.
naturally bears are fun-loving and cheerful; they like to romp and play. johnny played by the hour. most of the time he was chained to a low, small shed that was built for his accommodation. scores of times each day he covered all the territory that could be traversed while he was fastened with a twelve-foot chain. often he skipped back and forth in a straight line for an hour or more. these were not the restless, aimless movements of the caged tiger, but those of playful, happy activity. it was a pleasure to watch this eager play; in it he would gallop to the outer limit of his chain, then, reversing his legs without turning his body, go backward with a queer, lively hippety-hop to the other end, then gallop forward again. he knew the length of his chain to an inch. no matter how wildly he rushed after some bone-stealing dog,[pg 213] he was never jerked off his feet by forgetting his limitations.
he and scotch, my collie, were good friends and jolly playmates. in their favorite play scotch tried to take a bone which johnny guarded; this brought out from both a lively lot of feinting, dodging, grabbing, and striking. occasionally they clinched, and when this ended, johnny usually tried for a good bite or two on scotch's shaggy tail. scotch appeared always to have in mind that the end of johnny's nose was sensitive, and he landed many a good slap on this spot.
apparently, johnny early appreciated the fact that i would not tease him, and also that i was a master who must be obeyed. one day, however, he met with a little mishap, misjudged things, and endeavored to make it lively for me. i had just got him to the point where he enjoyed a rocking-chair. in this chair he sat up like a little man. sometimes his fore paws lay awkwardly in his lap, but more often each rested on an arm of the big chair. he found rocking such a delight that it was not long until[pg 214] he learned to rock himself. this brought on the mishap. he had grown over-confident, and one day was rocking with great enthusiasm. suddenly, the big rocker, little man and all, went over backward. though standing by, i was unable to save him, and did not move. seeing his angry look when he struck the floor, and guessing his next move, i leaped upon the table. up he sprang, and delivered a vicious blow that barely missed, but which knocked a piece out of my trousers.
apparently no other large animal has such intense curiosity as the grizzly. an object in the distance, a scent, a sound, or a trail, may arouse this, and for a time overcome his intense and wary vigilance. in satisfying this curiosity he will do unexpected and apparently bold things. but the instant the mystery is solved he is himself again, and may run for dear life from some situation into which his curiosity has unwittingly drawn him. an unusual noise behind johnny's shed would bring him out with a rush, to determine what it was. if not at once satisfied as to the cause, he would put his fore paws[pg 215] on the top of the shed and peer over in the most eager and inquiring manner imaginable. like a scout, he spied mysterious and dim objects afar. if a man, a dog, or a horse, appeared in the distance, he quickly discovered the object, and at once stood erect, with fore paws drawn up, until he had a good look at it. the instant he made out what it was, he lost interest in it. at all times he was vigilant to know what was going on about him.
he was like a boy in his fondness for water. usually, when unchained and given the freedom of the place, he would spend much of the time in the brook, rolling, playing, and wading. he and i had a few foot-races, and usually, in order to give me a better chance, we ran down hill. in a two-hundred-yard dash he usually paused three or four times and waited for me to catch up, and i was not a slow biped, either.
the grizzly, though apparently awkward and lumbering, is really one of the most agile of beasts. i constantly marveled at johnny's lightness of touch, or the deftness of movement of his fore paws. with but one claw touching it, he[pg 216] could slide a coin back and forth on the floor more rapidly and lightly than i could. he would slide an eggshell swiftly along without breaking it. yet by using but one paw, he could, without apparent effort, overturn rocks that were heavier than himself.
one day, while he slept in the yard, outstretched in the sun, i opened a large umbrella and put it over him, and waited near for him to wake up. by and by the sleepy eyes half opened, but without a move he closed them and slept again. presently he was wide awake, making a quiet study of the strange thing over him, but except to roll his eyes, not a move did he make. then a puff of wind gave sudden movement to the umbrella, rolling it over a point or two. at this he leaped to his feet, terribly frightened, and made a dash to escape this mysterious monster. but, as he jumped, the wind whirled the umbrella, and plump into it he landed. an instant of desperate clawing, and he shook off the wrecked umbrella and fled in terror. a minute or two later i found him standing behind the house, still frightened and trembling. when i[pg 217] came up and spoke to him, he made three or four lively attempts to bite my ankles. plainly, he felt that i had played a mean and uncalled-for trick upon him. i talked to him for some time and endeavored to explain the matter to him.
a sudden movement of a new or mysterious object will usually frighten any animal. on more than one occasion people have taken advantage of this characteristic of wild beasts, and prevented an attack upon themselves. in one instance i unconsciously used it to my advantage. in the woods, one day, as i have related elsewhere, two wolves and myself unexpectedly met. with bared teeth they stood ready to leap upon me. needing something to keep up my courage and divert my thoughts, it occurred to me to snap a picture of them. this effectively broke the spell, for when the kodak door flew open they wheeled and fled.
autumn came, and i was to leave for a forestry tour. the only man that i could persuade to stay at my place for the winter was one who neither understood nor sympathized with my[pg 218] wide-awake and aggressive young grizzly. realizing that the man and the bear would surely clash, and perhaps to the man's disadvantage, i settled things once and for all by sending johnny to the denver zoo.
he was seven months old when we parted, and apparently as much attached to me as any dog to master. i frequently had news of him, but let two years go by before i allowed myself the pleasure of visiting him. he was lying on the ground asleep when i called, while around him a number of other bears were walking about. he was no longer a boy bear, but a big fellow. in my eagerness to see him i forgot to be cautious and, climbing to the top of the picket fence, leaped into the pen, calling, "hello, johnny!" as i leaped, and repeating this greeting as i landed on the ground beside him. he jumped up, fully awake, and at once recognized me. instantly, he stood erect, with both arms extended, and gave a few happy grunts of joy and by way of greeting.
i talked to him for a little while and patted him as i talked. then i caught a fore paw in[pg 219] my hand and we hopped and pranced about as in old times. a yell from the outside brought me to my senses. instinctively i glanced about for a way of escape, though i really did not feel that i was in danger. we were, however, the observed of all observers, and i do not know which throng was staring with greater interest and astonishment,—the bears in the pen or the spectators on the outside.