SUBJECT CONTINUED. 53 



upon which he went frolicking down to the river 

 hank, and plunged into the water, where he swam 

 about for a considerable time. A man of Dr. 

 James's party had several narrow escapes from the 

 Grizzly Bear, when hunting with a companion on 

 the upper tributaries of the Missouri. While thus 

 engaged, he heard the report of his companion's 

 rifle, and on looking round, beheld him, at a little 

 distance, endeavouring to escape from one of these 

 fierce creatures. The hunter, attentive only to the 

 preservation of his friend, immediately hastened to 

 divert the attention of the bear to himself, and 

 arrived just in time to effect his generous object. 

 He lodged his ball in the animal, but was obliged 

 to fly in his turn; whilst his friend, relieved from 

 immediate danger, prepared for another onset by 

 charging his piece, with which he again wounded 

 the Bear, and saved the hunter from pursuit. In 

 this most hazardous encounter, neither of them was 

 injured, and the bear was happily destroyed. 



Several hunters engaged in the same dangerous 

 occupation, were pursued by a Grizzly Bear that 

 gained rapidly upon them. A boy belonging to the 

 party, who could not run as swiftly as the others, 

 seeing the Bear behind him, fell with his face to 

 the ground. The Bear came up, but instead of 

 offering him the least molestation, he reared on his 

 hind feet over the terrified boy, looked down for a 

 moment upon him, and then bounded onward in 

 pursuit of the fugitives. The poor boy would have 

 been but as a mouse in his huge paws ; for such is 

 the creature's strength, that when a marksman had 

 shot a bison, and left it for a short time to obtain 

 further aid, he found on his return that the body 



