Hunting in Many Lands 



quarrel ! The charge of the grizzly was a 

 thing as much to be accepted as an incident 

 of the Sierras as the thunderbolt — equally 

 dangerous to him who should interfere as the 

 lightning stroke to one daring to interpose his 

 rifle between the angry heavens and the fore- 

 doomed tree. 



We may feel sure that the lesson is not lost 

 upon the cubs. They are taught energy, sa- 

 gacity, craft in maturing their plans, courage 

 and promptness in their execution. They are 

 taught reverence for the ursine genius, un- 

 bounded admiration for their mother's leader- 

 ship and steadiness of nerve, at the same time 

 that they are taught contempt for the stupid- 

 ity of sheep and the pusillanimity of humans. 

 It may be that an apologist for the latter 

 might find a word to mitigate their too severe 

 sentence. A she grizzly of the Sierras, at 

 night, with hungry cubs to feed, is not an 

 altogether pleasant thing to face when infuri- 

 ated by wounds, none of which may be bad 

 enough to cripple her, yet combined are amply 

 sufificient to make her pretty cross and danger- 

 ous. The Mexican is a poor shot, but what 

 can you expect? His vocation is a humble 

 one. Were he of more positive and deter- 



