The Grizzly Bear 2i77 



extremity the animal is capable of doing extreme injury, 

 " One of the most complete wrecks of humanity I ever 

 saw," says Colonel Dodge, "was a man who had shot a 

 grizzly bear through the head. Both were found dead 

 together." Roosevelt killed one with a single shot. Fol- 

 lowing his trail among the Bighorn Mountains, he and his 

 companion, while "in the middle of a thicket, crossed what 

 was almost a breastwork of fallen logs, and Merrifield, who 

 was leading, passed by the upright stem of a great pine. 

 As soon as he was by it, he sank suddenly on one knee, 

 turning half round, his face fairly aflame with excitement ; 

 and as I strode past him with my rifle at the ready, there 

 was the great bear slowly rising from his bed among the 

 young spruces. He had heard us . . . though we ad- 

 vanced with noiseless caution, . . . but apparently hardly 

 knew exactly where or what we were, for he reared up 

 on his haunches sideways to us. Then he saw us and 

 dropped down again on all fours, the shaggy hair on his 

 tieck and shoulders seeming to bristle as he turned toward 

 us. As he sank down on his fore feet, I raised the rifle ; 

 his head was slightly bent down, and when I saw the top 

 of the white bead fairly between his small, glittering, evil 

 eyes, I pulled trigger. Half rising up, the huge beast 

 fell over on his side in the death throes, the ball having 

 gone into his brain." Generally it is not so soon over. 

 Captain Lewis mentions a case in which one did not 

 succumb until eight balls went through its lungs, and 

 several into other parts of the body. This officer also 

 relates that one of his party was pursued for half a mile 

 by a grizzly he had shot through the lungs, and which 



