Old Rphraim. 303 



muscular forearm, armed with nails as strong as so many 

 hooked steel spikes, tore out the man's collar-bone and 

 snapped through three or four ribs. He never recovered 

 from the shock, and died that night. 



The other instance occurred to a neighbor of mine 

 who has a small ranch on the Little Missouri two or 

 three years ago. He was out on a mining trip, and was 

 prospecting with two other men near the head-water of 

 the Little Missouri, In the Black Hills country. They 

 were walking down along the river, and came to a point 

 of land, thrust out into it, which was densely covered with 

 brush and fallen timber. Two of the party walked round 

 by the edge of the stream ; but the third, a German, and 

 a very powerful fellow, followed a well-beaten game trail, 

 leading through the bushy point. When they were some 

 forty yards apart the two men heard an agonized shout 

 from the German, and at the same time the loud cough- 

 ing growl, or roar, of a bear. They turned just in time 

 to see their companion struck a terrible blow on the head 

 by a grizzly, which must have been roused from its lair by 

 his almost stepping on it ; so close was it that he had no 

 time to fire his rifle, but merely held it up over his head 

 as a guard. Of course it was struck down, the claws of 

 the great brute at the same time shattering his skull like 

 an egg-shell. Yet the man staggered on some ten feet 

 before he fell ; but when he did he never spoke or moved 

 again. The two others killed the bear after a short, 

 brisk struggle, as he was in the midst of a most deter- 

 mined charge. 



In 1872, near Fort Wingate, New Mexico, two sol- 



