o 



26 T/ie Wilder7^ess Htmte^^ 



first hunters and trappers, the " Rocky Mountain men " of 

 the early decades of the present century, were repeatedly 

 assailed in this manner ; and not a few of the bear hunters 

 of that period found that it was unnecessary to take much 

 trouble about approaching their quarry, as the grisly was 

 usually prompt to accept the challenge and to advance of 

 its own accord, as soon as it discovered the foe. All this 

 is changed now. Yet even at the present day an occa- 

 sional vicious old bear may be found, in some far off 

 and little trod fastness, which still keeps up the former 

 habit of its kind. All old hunters have tales of this sort 

 to relate, the prowess, cunning, strength, and ferocity of 

 the grisly being favorite topics for camp-fire talk through- 

 out the Rockies ; but in most cases it is not safe to accept 

 these stories without careful sifting. 



Still, it is just as unsafe to reject them all. One of 

 my own cowboys was once attacked by a grisly, seem- 

 ingly in pure wantonness. He was riding up a creek 

 bottom, and had just passed a clump of rose and bull- 

 berry bushes when his horse gave such a leap as almost 

 to unseat him, and then darted madly forward. Turning 

 round in the saddle to his utter astonishment he saw a 

 large bear galloping after him, at the horse's heels. For 

 a few jumps the race was close, then the horse drew away 

 and the bear wheeled and went into a thicket of wild 

 plums. The amazed and indignant cowboy, as soon as 

 he could rein in his steed, drew his revolver and rode back 

 to and around the thicket, endeavoring to provoke his 

 late pursuer to come out and try conclusions on more 

 equal terms ; but prudent Ephraim had apparently re- 



