The Grizzly Bear 373 



did not come in at the appointed time. Next day a relief 

 party was sent out to look for them, and after some search 

 found the bodies of both, as well as that of one of the 

 horses. One of the men still showed signs of life ; he 

 came to his senses before dying, and told his story. They 

 had seen a grizzly and pursued it on horseback, with their 

 Spencer rifles. On coming close, one fired into its side, 

 when it turned, with marvellous quickness for so large 

 and unwieldy an animal, and struck down the horse, at the 

 same time inflicting a ghastly wound upon the rider. The 

 other man dismounted and came up to the rescue of his 

 companion. The bear then left the latter and attacked 

 him. Although hit by the bullet, it charged home and 

 thrust the man down, and then lay on him and deliberately 

 bit him to death, while his groans and cries were frightful 

 to hear. Afterward it walked off into the bushes, without 

 again offering to molest the already mortally wounded vic- 

 tim of his first assault." 



It is commonly believed that feigning death will prevent 

 a bear from inflicting further injuries. In many cases this 

 is no doubt the case. Few unwounded animals tear a dead 

 body, except in the act of devouring it. This stratagem 

 must always be of doubtful efficacy, since beasts of prey 

 would generally be acute enough to detect it. The ruse, 

 however, may have been tried upon grizzlies with success ; 

 they are not brilliant beasts, so far as can be discovered ; but 

 this device sometimes fails. A hunter told the writer, over 

 their camp-fire in the Sierra Nevada, of his brother's death, 

 which he witnessed. They were shooting in those moun- 

 tains, and he was on a steep escarpment of rock, his com- 



