3 l6 Old Rphraim. 



three-legged bear, I hastily interposed a most emphatic 

 veto ; and with a rather injured air he fired, the bullet going 

 through the neck just back of the head. The bear fell to 

 the shot, and could not get up from the ground, dying in 

 a few minutes ; but first he seized his left wrist in his 

 teeth and bit clean through it, completely separating the 

 bones of the paw and arm. Although a smaller bear than 

 the big one I first shot, he would probably have proved a 

 much more ugly foe, for he was less unwieldy, and had 

 much longer and sharper teeth and claws. I think that if 

 my companion had merely broken the beast's leg he would 

 have had his curiosity as to its probable conduct more 

 than gratified. 



We tried eating the grizzly's flesh but it was not good, 

 being coarse and not well flavored ; and besides, we could 

 not get over the feeling that it had belonged to a carrion 

 feeder. The flesh of the little black bear, on the other 

 hand, was excellent ; it tasted like that of a young pig. 

 Doubtless, if a young grizzly, which had fed merely upon 

 fruits, berries, and acorns, was killed, its flesh would prove 

 good eating ; but even then, it would probably not be 

 equal to a black bear. 



A day or two after the death of the big bear, we went 

 out one afternoon on horseback, intending merely to ride 

 down to see a great canyon lying some six miles west of 

 our camp ; indeed, we went more to look at the scenery 

 than for any other reason, though, of course, neither of us 

 ever stirred out of camp without his rifle. We rode down 

 the valley in which we had camped, through alternate pine 

 groves and open glades, until we reached the canyon, and 



