270 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



would be the more ferocious animal, and therefore the 

 better spectacle of the two. 



But while we must not judge of the character of the 

 powerful bear, under notice from the museum account, as 

 little can we do it from the accounts of the hunters ; for if 

 the one shows us an animal soured and irritated by cap- 

 tivity, the other displays it with all its formidable ener- 

 gies aroused in defence of its life. Of these accounts 

 by the hunters, ~we shall, however, give the substance of 

 one instance from the expedition of Lewis and Clark, on 

 the Missouri. One evening, the men in one of the hind- 

 most of the canoes, perceived a grizzly bear lying on the 

 open ground, about three hundred paces from the river ; 

 and six of them, good hunters, went to attack it. They 

 got within forty paces unperceived, when four fired, all 

 hitting, and two balls passing directly through the lungs. 

 The bear sprang up and ran furiously at them with open 

 mouth, upon which the two hunters who had reserved 

 their fire, gave it, both hitting, and one breaking his 

 shoulder blade, which somewhat retarded his motions. 

 But before they could reload, he came so close upon 

 them, that they were obliged to make directly for the 

 river, and before they reached it, the bear was almost 

 within paw's length. Two jumped into the canoe*, and 

 the other four concealing themselves among the willows, 

 fired as fast as they co-uld load. They struck him seve- 

 ral times, but that only made him proceed more furiously 

 in the direction whence the wound came. At last they 

 were obliged to throw down their guns and pouches, and 

 jump from a bank twenty feet high, into the river. But 

 bruin is more expert both at jumping and swimming, 



