Nights with the Grizzlies 



the shot. He is soon on his feet, going back 

 on his trail, toward the swamp. Loading 

 quickly, I run forward to intercept him, and 

 find him, after stumbling along 40 or 50 

 yards, in a sitting position near the edge of 

 the marsh, evidently nearly done for, with his 

 back toward me. A moment's interval was 

 sufficient to place a ball in the back of his 

 head; he rolls over, and is soon dead. A 

 Tiasty examination showed him to be a large 

 bear, and the handsomest and most sym- 

 metrically formed I had ever killed. He was 

 in just the proper flesh for activity and busi- 

 ness, though not quite as large as the big 

 bear killed on the Big Bear Fork of Four 

 Bear Creek, heretofore described. 



Before proceeding to disembowel him, I 

 did what had always been done under like 

 circumstances — that is, placed the loaded rifle 

 convenient for instant use. Something whis- 

 pered this caution, especially novv^ as it was 

 a time when another bear might appear on 

 the trail at any moment. Keeping my eyes 

 as much as possible at the point on the op- 

 posite side of the marsh, where the trail 

 debouched on to it, I had proceeded to rip 

 231 



