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King of the Grizzlies (1970)
NARRA TOR.' In the year 1899,
Ernest Thompson Seton wrote... "Over the years, I heard many tales... "of the mighty Moh-Sum-See-Wahb. "The grizzl y that nature fashioned... "into a master of cunning and a monument of power. "These stories were told to me by an assortment of men... "the cattlemen who hated Wahb... "and the Indians who called the great bear 'Brother'... "and honored him as their totem. "I once saw Wahb myself, across a river's canyon... "when he still ruled his mountain kingdom. "And now, at last... "I have determined to set down his story... "as best my humble pen knows how. " We shall begin in a time long gone... on the pine-timbered shores of a little mountain lake. NARRA TOR.' In the way of her kind... the old grizzl y feared no living thing... Yet today, she made certain... that the open country beyond the woods was clear of danger. The two cubs had been born during winter hibernation. NARRA TOR.' She was a very old grizzly. This brother and sister would be her last pair of cubs. The little male had been born short of one toe on one foot... and by this track, he would, in time... become known as "Moh-Sum-See-Wahb"... an Indian term that means "four-toed grizzly. " But that was far in the future. Right now, Wahb was just one of two curious cubs. The sight of this little marmot was an exciting discovery. The cubs didn't know whether the badger... was a fellow they ought to be friendly with... or fearful of... but Mom had no time for mixin' with the local critters. She was moving her family clear out of this neighborhood... to another part of the country. It was only about one hill and two valleys later... that that old she-bear began to feel the need for rest. About the same time, the cubs found an ideal spot... for a game of king of the mountain. Actually, it started out to be queen of the mountain... but Wahb figured that was a matter for debate. NARRATOR.' Sister finally made her point. Then, as soon as she gained the upper hand... Wahb lost his footing and slid right into the cafeteria. Well, Sister had won, but it was a hollow victory. She'd rather go down there... and share the sweet taste of defeat. During their first summer, mother's liquid food... would be only part of the cubs'diet. That made weaning important in their training. So, today it would be a short nip... followed by a short nap... and after that, it was time for an introduction... to the wonderful world of solid food. Now, just about anything and everything... fills the bill of fare for a grizzly... and no amount of effort is too much... for a small reward, even if it means... turning over a 2oo-pound rock... to turn up two ounces of grubs and beetles. NARRATOR.' While the cubs were diggin the beetles... Mom figured to take somethin'... she'd been dreaming about all winter... a good, long, luxurious bath. Once she got her nose wet, the old gal was quite a cut-up. Wow! NARRATOR.' Whatever Mom was doin'... the cubs wanted no part of it. They'd take their water sports on the beach. The fact is, bear cubs are natural-born swimmers. Meantime, Mom had stopped foolin'around... and settled down to do some serious fishin'. Now, fish ranks high on a grizzly's menu... but the youngsters have to learn to like it. Trouble was, this trout wasn't about to cooperate. NARRATOR.' Well, no use worrying about the one that got away. The cubs woul d just go back and move in on Mom's meal. Maybe in time they'd acquire the taste... but for Sister, fish was ish. She wanted a mouthwash. Wahb never even got that far. About now, travelin'fever hit Mom again. The old bear wasn't just wandering aimlessly. She had a destination in mind... a distant, dimly-remembered place... where the land was friendly and the living easy. It woul d be a long trek, and there would be time... for some recreation along the way... including winter sports on the high levels. Even Mom decided to have a go at the snow. NARRATOR.' Wahb was born with a kind of compulsion... for pushing things over. This time, he got carried away. NARRATOR.' That trip had left Wahb a little wobbly. The bears'journey led across the highest peaks... and down past melting snow patches... on the opposite side of the mountains. As the days and the miles passed by... the cubs grew in strength and size... and nothing does a better job of growing... than a bear cub... especially a little grizzly. Wahb and his sister had weighed about ten ounces each... at the time of their mid-winter birth... but as spring gave way to summer, they had reached... a well-rounded forty pounds apiece... and by now, the she-bear was heading... toward the last leg of her long journey. She couldn't know, of course, that the passing years... had brought changes to the land she had known as a cub. Even here... on the remote headwaters of the Greybull River... the high country was no longer an uncharted wilderness. NARRATOR.' His name was Moki. He was a Cree Indian. In his childhood, this land had been his home. Long ago, he had taken the white man's ways... and served in the white man's army... but now he had come back to the scenes of his youth... and a flood of long-forgotten memories. Among these same crags, he had watched Wahmdi... the eagle, lifted into the sky... by the strong medicine of the sun. Here, too, he had chipped the hunting points... for his first small arrows, down there by the river's edge. And far up in the high country... was that secret place called Takakawa... a waterfall where his grandfather... had washed away his childhood... and placed upon his hand the sign of the Great Bear. NARRATOR.' Was it an omen or just a coincidence? Moki was glad that the bears seemed to be... at home here in the high country. If they followed the river down into the bench lands... there could be trouble. Moki was a cattleman now. He was the foreman of the ranch... whose wide borders he had just completed mapping. Hyah! Hyah hyah hyah! Whoo! Hyah! NARRATOR.' In these early stages... the spread was only a couple of buildings... surrounded by great stretches of raw land. But the beginnings of an empire were already here... including the first herds of whiteface... that would soon replace the longhorn... as king of the western cattle. COWBOYS.' Hey, hey, hey! Ha ha! Whoo! NARRATOR.' The old bear's first concern was for her cubs. For them, a safe hiding place and a warning to stay put. For herself, a scouting trip to check up on all that noise. The cubs were a couple of weeks larger now... and Wahb figured that was about the right size... to go exploring, no matter what Sister said. Now, fate was preparing the stage for the first act... in the strange drama of the four-toed grizzly... the Indian who would be his friend... and the cattleman who would be his enemy. Colonel Pearson was a retired Army officer. Once Moki had served as the colonel's aide and scout... now as his friend and foreman. Hi-yo! Hyah! COWBOY.' Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Hi-yo! Let's fan out! Charlie, Tom, take that side! Right! - Pecos! - Yeah! Comb the draw! Got ya. Come on. Do you want to stay with me, sir? Yeah, right. NARRATOR.' She sensed danger to her cubs. It woul d be better to take her family far away from here. Mom hadn't gone more than a few feet when she realized... of her following. She couldn't see him or hear him... so she set out to find him. Actually, Wahb had traveled about a quarter of a mile... and right now was working his way... toward something of a problem. It took a hollow log to bring it into focus. NARRATOR.' Wahb figured to extend... the paw of friendship... but the calf just couldn't see a bear cub as a companion. NARRATOR.' The little heifer was hollerin'for help... and she got it. There, in the thicket! Come on! Look like we got 'em all. COLONEL.' Hmm. My first grizzly. Too bad she cost me a prime bull. Yeah. Too bad. Too bad about the bull or the bear? Too bad about the cubs. Little grizzlies grow big, Moki. You've got a new totem now, remember. Cattle. Yes, sir. You'll want to save the hide, I guess. NARRATOR.' Against the colonel's rifle... Wahb had only the good luck of a near miss. NARRATOR.' Wahb didn't waste any time. More than anything else, he wanted to get wrung out... and right back into the family fold... wherever that was. NARRATOR.' All through the early morning hours the next day... the roundup was still in progress along the river... but now the last few head of cattle... had been hazed out of the willow breaks... and headed for the ranch. NARRATOR.' Throughout the rest of the morning... Moki continued to comb the bench lands... in case any hideout cattle had been overlooked. At this little waterhole, he got off on another track. NARRATOR.' The way Moki saw it, he had two choices... he coul d let the cub get down and go about his business... or he could shoot him. But then, Moki figured there was a third way... and he decided to take it. NARRATOR.' It was a peculiar thing... for a cattleman to do for a grizzly... even a little one... but it wasn't so strange for an Indian... who happened to be a member of the Bear Clan. MOKI.' Come on, boy. Let's not make this a problem. Back up! MOKI.' Back up! Unh! Easy! Come on. Come on. Unh! Easy! Come here! Come here, boy. Whoa! Whoa! Easy, boy! Come on! Come back here! Whoa, boy! Easy now. Easy now. Give me back my coat! There you go. All right, now. Boy, you're... makin' this tough. Easy now. Easy. There you go. This won't hurt, boy. This won't hurt you. See? Come on. Aw, be quiet. NARRATOR.' When Moki threw a rope... instead of a bullet at the grizzly cub... he had an idea that some day... he might have to face the consequences... but right now he wasn't thinking about the future. In fact, he was making a long journey into the past. It was a journey... his grandfather woul d have approved. For now, he'd decided there was onl y one fitting place... to turn the cub loose. That had to be the exact spot where Moki the Indian boy... had passed through the ritual of the Bear Clan... to become a man. Moki could still remember... the voice of his grandfather telling the legend... of how the Clan of the Grizzl y came to be. NARRATOR.' "In the sunrise of time... "Kichemunito, the great spirit... "made the sky and the earth and the waters. "Then he made the grizzly and the Cree. " "There was war between the two tribes... "and the grizzly fell as brown leaves in the forest. " "The grizzly was mighty in battle... "but he coul d not stand against the weapons of the Cree. " "Kichemunito saw and was angry. "He would not let the Great Bear... "vanish from the earth. " "With a sweep of his hand... "he piled up the high lone mountains... "and gave them to the grizzly to be his hunting ground. "He took from the Cree the bravest warriors... "and bound them together in a clan. " "In the waters of the Takakawa... "he washed the blood from their hand... "and placed a mark upon them. "Then Kichemunito spoke. " NARRATOR.' "Hear me, warriors of the Cree. "Now I have made you brother to the bear. "Go from this place. "Meet your brother in peace. "From this time... "for as long as the waters of the Takakawa fall. " Take it easy now. We're here. This is it. Now you stay up here, where you belong! Come back to my country, and we're both in big trouble. Go in peace, my little brother. And you can thank my grandfather. NARRATOR.' It was in this high, wide wilderness... that being on his own and all alone... became a way of life for Wahb. The first several days... he had carried on the search for his mother... but nature has wisely given young animals... a short memory about such things... and so, as the days passed... the problem of finding his family... graduall y gave way to a full-time search for food. Not that food was scarce. It was the height of the summer berry season. The problem was Wahb's incredible growth rate... three to five pounds a day. Fortunately, most of the local berry eaters... like the raccoon... were more than willing to let any grizzly, any size... be first in line at nature's pantry. NARRATOR.' Just one glimpse of Wahb... was enough to give the fox a case of the jitters. And even a tough, little pine marten... yiel ded the right of way. But there were all kinds of critters around here... and right now, Wahb was about to meet... the queen cat of this timber tangle. The mother cougar had only one cub... untouchable, unapproachable. Well, Wahb didn't care much for kittens, anyway. He'd make a wide detour. The cougar would give him some help. NARRATOR.' She had to admit, that big lout... had the best left hook she'd ever seen. NARRATOR.' Well, it was plain that this royal kitten... was due for a change in summer residence. If the rowdy element was moving in... the cougar was moving out. The mother cat could have saved herself the trouble... because a certain wayfaring bear cub... had wasted no time in hitting the trail again. After such an easy victory... Wahb's growing confidence kept pace with his weight. Then, just when Wahb hit 150 pounds... his confidence got set back to zero. NARRATOR.' Eating was not a spectator sport... the way Wahb saw it. NARRATOR.' Turned out that Blackie's sweet tooth... was already pacified. It was a temporary filling, though. Wahb took only enough time... to make sure it was all clear in the clearing. NARRATOR.' Now, Blackie could've gone right up after Wahb... but he decided the point had been made. Besides, it just worked up a whole new appetite. But now, joining the festivities... the real boss bear of these parts. This young grizzly, just entering his prime... was at the peak of his power, and, by right of might... anything and everything was his for the taking. NARRATOR.' There was only one way out, and Blackie took it. NARRATOR.' A squalling young'un... was the one thing the new king couldn't stand... and that was bad. But adult grizzlies can't climb trees... and that was good... so he couldn't go up and get him. But he could do something that was just as good... and that was bad. NARRATOR.' This hole was only the groundwork. Next thing was to stuff that brat in... and cover him up, soon as he shook him down. NARRATOR.' That swingin'trip finally came to an end... only because the ground crew got tired. As a final gesture... the grizzly would leave a permanent warning... for all who trespassed in his domain. In the manner of bears... he made the mark that said he was the king... and this was his country. NARRATOR.' It was mid-morning the next day... before Wahb got up the courage to get down. NARRATOR.' Uh-oh. He didn't like the look of that bush. No telling what was behind it. NARRATOR.' It was autumn now, and the changing seasons... brought a change to Wahb's way of life. As the fall colors spread over the mountains... more and more, Wahb was drawn upward... toward the higher country. When Wahb found the first snowfall... he weighed nearly four hundred pounds. For some time now, he'd had the definite feeling... of being late for something. He didn't know what it was, but one thing for certain... he sure felt awful sleepy these days. In Wahb's slide for home... he had by instinct returned to the same den... in which he was born. All at once... Wahb knew he'd found the cure for what ailed him. He just needed a good long winter's nap. Now, there already happened to be one resident here... a pack rat that had staked himself... a little quarter section. Not far away was a pair of wolverines... that had been apartment hunting. This young couple had decided on a certain place... they'd staked out last summer. NARRATOR.' The wolverines decided... they'd got a lot more bear than they'd bargained for. He coul d just have the whole den. NARRATOR.' Considering the circumstances... the pack rat figured... he wouldn't even take time to pack. There just wasn't room enough... for him and that bear, too. And so, at last, Wahb began his long sleep. It would last all through the storms... of the high country winter. The seasons changed, and now the four-toed bear... left his mark upon the land. It was a pattern that repeated again and again... as the seasons completed their cycles and became years. The fourth winter came and passed, and another spring. This time, it was a new awakening for Wahb. He weighed nearly eight hundred pounds now... a young giant just moving into early adulthood. Today, the male grizzly's instinct to wander... told him it was time to leave the familiar valley. Then, on this day in early summer, he moved... into the Headwater Valley of the Greybull River. It was early the next morning... that Wahb began what would be a day of learning. Actually, he was looking for food, not education. This was a typical Indian wolf-trap set... a chunk of bait above, a circle of traps below. The wolves were on their toes, though... too smart to take the bait. To Wahb, it sounded like something interesting. The wolves were more than willing to move back... and let this newcomer move in on their problem. Wahb was about to learn that in the wilderness... a free meal generally has a catch to it. To a bear, a wolf trap is just a nuisance... but Wahb woul d never forget the scent of steel... or the fact that traps mean trouble. COLONEL.' Curly, eighteen seconds. Powder face up. Be right back. NARRATOR.' On the long ride home from his trapping trip... it seems Moki's horse had picked up a problem. What's goin' on over there? Oh, a little friendly war between the Indians and us. Threw a shoe. There's the last of that wolf pack. Hmm, I'm glad we got rid of that bunch of cattle killers. MOKI.' Yes, sir. But I want to have the boys fence off... some of that timberland, just the same. Oh? Pretty wild back in there. I saw a grizzly. A grizzly, huh? Too bad you couldn't get a shot at him. Could have. But I wanted to make sure of the wolves. Sir? Anyway, he was hightailing it for the mountains. Good. Let's hope he keeps right on going. If he doesn't... I'm gonna be real disappointed in my grandfather. Your grandfather? Remember that cub we knocked in the river... a couple of years back? Yeah, I remember. He had four toes on his right hind foot. The grizzly I saw today left a four-toed track. Now, how could you know how many toes that cub had? - We lost him in the river. - Yes, sir... but I found him the next day... and I got to thinking about my grandfather... and totems... and legends... and the first thing I knew I had that cub hogtied... and was heading for high country. Turned him loose up there. Moki, sometimes I wonder if you're not... more medicine man than cattleman. Times I wonder myself, sir. NARRATOR.' A couple of days later... Moki's fence-setting project was well underway... in charge of a cowhand named Shorty Russell. Shorty had a lot of sterling qualities... but hard work wasn't one of them. The ranch wagon wasn't due to pick him up just yet... and the way Shorty saw it... wasn't any use wasting good snoozing time. By now, Wahb was already deep in ranch country... and this just happened to be his day for pushing over trees. So far, Wahb had downed three pines and one aspen... but he wasn't getting anywhere with this bunch of birches. Well, now, this little single-file forest... seemed just made to order. Wahb had never seen trees like these before... but the shorter they came, the quicker they fell. Now, there's no denying that all grizzlies... are unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Wahb was no exception... but today he was in a particularly good mood... a lot more curious than cantankerous. Too bad there was nobody around to tell Shorty that. You g-get away. Oh... no, no. Aah! Help! Wahb was a little puzzled by all these ups and downs. Still, Shorty's performance... coul dn't have been more sincere. Maybe this critter'd stay put if he buried it. Looks like Shorty got tired again. Come on. COWBOY.' Hey, Shorty! Shorty! Where are you? Here! Here! Grizzly! Grizzly! There's a grizzly. There's a grizzly. It is a grizzly. COWBOY.' Let's get out of here. Hyah! Hyah! Hyah! Stop! Wait! Let me on! COWBOY.' Come on, hurry up. SHORTY.' Wait! Stop! Hey. Ooh. Ah, thanks a lot, boys. Heh. COWBOY.' Hyah! Aaagh! Ah-ohh! Slow down! Wait for me! There he was, as close as you and me. Mean little red eyes and a big mouth full of teeth. That long, right? If I hadn't played dead... I'd be inside a live bearskin right now. Wow, that's something. I'm mighty lucky to be alive. All right, Shorty. We've all heard it four times now. You boys better get back to work. Curly, take Shorty over to my office... and give him a couple of shots of bravemaker... and then you get back on that fencing. Some guys do anything for a free drink. Willie, Angus, you unload that barbed wire. Ho. What was that all about? Shorty and the boys supposed to be setting fence. Well, they were setting fence... but they ran into a little trouble. - What kind of trouble? - Grizzly trouble. What happened? Well, your grizzly friend... who was hightailing it for the mountains... doubled back and jumped Shorty. Shorty get hurt? No, but only 'cause he had sense enough to play dead. So, the K. C. Ranch has bear traps. You borrow them and spread them... all over that bench country. I'd rather do it with a rifle, sir. We've got a ranch to run. We don't have time to waste, nor men to risk... trying to track down one grizzly. Now, are you gonna be a cattleman, Moki... or blood brother to a bear? I'll get the traps. NARRATOR.' For Wahb, trouble was still twenty miles... and several days away. And for the immediate future... Mother Nature had a more pleasant plan. To get things started, she arranged for Wahb... to go fishing and also to make an easy catch. So far so good... but he hadn't caught his limit yet. Well, there were plenty of fish in this stream... and, as it turned out... there was another bear in the forest, too. This young female grizzly... had wandered up from down south. Back home, they didn't have anything... like this big handsome hunk of bear. It was plain to see he was a good provider... and the female figured it might lead... to an introduction if she moseyed down there... and sampled that fish. One look, and his heart was so full... he forgot his empty stomach. With grizzly bears, courtship and mating... usuall y last about two weeks. Then the male and the female go their separate ways. For the first few days... all was sweetness and light for the happy couple... but they would soon discover... that already their road to romance... was beset with trouble. Although Moki found no pleasure in his task... still he used all his Indian skill... in setting the bear traps. The deadly steel would be hidden in many cunning ways... in many different places. Three days passed... and Wahb was still so wound up with love... the female was beginning to wonder... if it'd ever run down. Right now, she was in the mood for food... and when she caught a promising scent... she set out to follow it up. Wahb had finall y realized she was missing... and he'd come back to get her... just in time. NARRATOR.' Wahb was actuall y protecting his mate... although she didn't really believe it. He remembered the scent of steel... and now he would expose the danger. It was safe now to claim his prize... and Wahb made it plain it woul d be ladies last. Another day, another free meal. Wahb had the hang of it now... and he didn't hesitate to move right in. Of course, the female's plight was pitiful... but Wahb wasn't about to change the rules. And so it went, throughout the forest. He would soon disarm all of Moki's best laid plans. The last and cleverest trap was Moki's water set. The stream carried away all scent of man and steel. It was the missing ingredients... that made Wahb even more suspicious. The female was still hoping... and wishing Wahb would hurry... but he was taking his time to puzzle this thing out. As usual, Wahb expected to claim the prize... without argument, but not this time. She was going to have a little talk with him... about community property. Well, that did it. Maybe there was a shortage of males back home... but she was heading south anyway. Down there, they knew how to treat a lady. Wahb didn't know what he'd done wrong... but whatever it was, he was anxious to apologize. And so the female would pay a debt... and save Wahb's life. Now she would lead him... far from the guns and traps of the Greybull country. Four years passed, and Colonel Pearson's empire... grew in size and scope. Now he took a harvest of timber from the forests... and sank mines deep into his mountains. But first and above all... his was still an empire of cattle. Whiteface grazed by the thousands... in every corner of the Pearson range. At ranch headquarters... The number of buildings and corrals... kept pace with the growing enterprise. Today, a remuda of horses was being gathered... for the summer roundup. Before this operation began, however... the foreman of the ranch was spending a few days... in the high country... taking a typical Indian vacation. It was a vacation Moki would never forget. NARRATOR.' It couldn't happen, but it had. The mystic moment had passed... but one fact remained... never before had there been such a grizzly... except, of course... in his grandfather's wondrous legends. Go in peace, O, my brother. NARRATOR.' There were many long miles... between the far reaches of the high country... and the borders of Colonel Pearson's empire. And so, it was two or three weeks... before Wahb wandered into this territory. Now he had reached the fullness of his growth. He weighed 1,25o pounds... a grizzly king... accustomed to going where he wanted to go... whether the way was barred or not. Now Wahb was on a one-way trail to trouble. Just a mile or so from here... the big summer roundup was well underway. For the past week... from every corner of the grazing lands... the whiteface cattle had been herded... toward the holding grounds. Here they were counted and culled and selected... some for marketing... some to be held for future breeding stock. In the nearby foothills... at the mouth of a small canyon... was a typical roundup camp... presided over by a typical cowboy cook named Slim. Right now, Slim was doing his usual job... in his usual way... and some distance farther up the canyon... Shorty Russell was doing wrangler duty in his usual way. Beyond Shorty was the remuda of spare horses. Beyond that was a corral... full of extra-select whiteface cattle... and beyond that was Wahb. For a few moments, the bull was very brave. Whoa, hey! Hey, now! Come on! Hey! Hey! Whoa, there! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Ho! Whoa! Whoa! Oh! Oh! Oh! Ohh! Oh, no! SHORTY.' Grizzly! It's a great big grizzly! Head for those trees! Can grizzlies climb trees? You better hope not! Ow! Get off my hand! Ow! SLIM.' Let go of my foot and stop pushin'! That's high as you can go? SLIM.' Yeah! Start shootin'! That's my guitar! NARRATOR.' The little stampede... boiled out of the foothills, hit the main herd... and the whole roundup headed for parts unknown. Get up there in front! Hyah! Whoa! Whoa! Hyah! Whoa! Whoa, now! Whoa! Ho, ho, ho, ho, move, move, move, move! Ho! Hyah! Hyah! Ho! Ho! Ho! COWBOY.' Move'em towards the draw! Move! Move! To the flat there! Here he comes. Look at the size of him! Shoot him! SHORTY.' I'm out of bullets. NARRATOR.' Wahb had finally shaken off... the last of his aggressive anger. Now all he felt was that old compulsion to push. That's my chuck wagon! NARRATOR.' It took two days of hard work... before the roundup operation... got back to the branding stage again. By now, Colonel Pearson was determined... to eliminate the cause of his trouble... but first he would stop by to get a full report from Moki. Well? Between fifteen and twenty head lost for sure... and we're still shy maybe fifty more. The boys should round 'em up before nightfall. Yeah, see that they do, then finish up this roundup. I'll see you back at the ranch after I finish a job. Hmm? I'm going to get that grizzly. - Alone, Colonel? - Yeah, alone. It isn't exactly a one-man job, sir. I could go with you. You just take care of my ranch... and I'll take care of your grizzly. d Doo doo doo doo doo d d Yodel oh de le hee d d To a cowboy, the campfire is home d d When twilight spreads over the prairie d d And the sunset has faded from sight d d When the cares of the day d d Have drifted away d d And the doggies bed down for the night d d Ooh de lee de lo d d When the last shadow falls d d Ooh de lo de lee d d And the first coyote calls d d Doo doo de doo de oh d d Yodel oh de le hee hee d d To a cowboy, the campfire is home d d Doo doo de oop de oh d d Yodel le... d - Shorty. - Yeah? Ramrod this gear back to the ranch... first thing in the morning. You goin' someplace? - Mm-hmm. - Tonight? That's right. - When you comin' back? - Couldn't say. COWBOY.' d Doo doo de oop de oh d d Yodel le de le hee hee d d Yodel le hee hee d - Was that Moki? - Yep. - Is he goin' somewhere? - Yep. - When's he comin' back? - Couldn't say. NARRATOR.' It was mid-morning the next day... and the colonel was still combing the little canyons... and creeks above the bench lands without much success. Now he picked up a first sign... a broken twig. Of course, it coul d have been caused by any animal... but a little farther on... the sight of the four-toed print... told him he was at last on the right track. For a time, it was fairly easy to follow the sign... and the colonel was slowly closing the gap... on the trail of the grizzly. At the same time... a master of tracking was rapidly closing the gap... on the colonel's trail. About a mile away... Wahb was moving into another type of terrain... a little mountain meadow, lush and green... and somehow vaguely familiar. This heap of forest rubble... was all that remained of the honey tree. There were only a few grubs here now... but anything and everything... was still claimed by the same king grizzly... so this would be a test of might... for the right to rule. NARRATOR.' All at once, it was over. For the one-time king, defeat and retreat. Somewhere far from here... the other bear would live as a subject. And Wahb the new king would select a marking tree... and make the sign that said all this wil derness... was now his territory. The rage and fury of battle... was still burning in the giant bear... when the first invader appeared in his new domain. With nothing else to guide him... the colonel could only guess... and scout in the direction the bear seemed to have gone. But Wahb hadn't gone. With the incredible cunning of an angry, hunted grizzly... he had doubled back and hidden at the base of the ridge... and now he was exactly where he wanted to be... behind his unsuspecting quarry. Wahb was patient but relentless. He would follow and wait. Moki was moving up fast on the colonel's trail. Now he spotted the first sign of danger. The bear track on top of the hoof-print... told him the whole story. NARRATOR.' The three shots were intended as a warning... but the colonel took them to be a distress signal. All the forces were in motion now... and the stage was set for the final confrontation. Come on, here. Uhh! Uhh! Down here in the gully! - Am I glad to see you! - Are you all right? Yeah. I twisted my ankle. That grizzly backtracked me. Yeah, I know. COLONEL.' Never mind about me. Get the rifle. He's still around here somewhere. Moki! You'll never stop him with that. Maybe I won't have to. Moki. Moki! Come on. Let's get out of here. Get the rifle. COLONEL.' There. He'll come out right there. Give me the gun. - Colonel... - I know, Moki. You said the magic words, and the bear went away... because he's your brother. COLONEL.' We each have our totem, Moki. That grizzly's yours, but the cattle are mine. I'm sorry, but there's no other way. Colonel, he's showing us a way! He won't come back to the Greybull. Do you know that? Where he makes a mark, he stays. MOKI.' Colonel! Does he mean that much to you? Well, come on. Let's go home. NARRATOR.' And so, once again... The Indian and his brother the bear had met in peace... just as the great spirit had commanded they should. And now, at last, Moh-Sum-See-Wahb... would take his rightful place... as king of the grizzlies... and he would reign supreme... in this high mountain wil derness... for all the years of his life. |
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