Old Rpkraim. 321 



and started out of the mountains, each of us taking his 

 own bedding behind his saddle, while the pack-ponies 

 were loaded down with bearskins, elk and deer antlers, 

 and the hides and furs of other game. In single file we 

 moved through the woods, and across the canyons to the 

 edge of the great table-land, and then slowly down the 

 steep slope to its foot, where we found our canvas-topped 

 wagon ; and next day saw us setting out on our long 

 journey homewards, across the three hundred weary miles 

 of treeless and barren-looking plains country. 



Last spring, since the above was written, a bear 

 killed a man not very far from my ranch. It was at 

 the time of the floods. Two hunters came down the 

 river, by our ranch, on a raft, stopping to take dinner. A 

 score or so of miles below, as we afterwards heard from the 

 survivor, they landed, and found a bear in a small patch of 

 brushwood. After waiting in vain for it to come out, one 

 of the men rashly attempted to enter the thicket, and 

 was instantly struck down by the beast, before he could so 

 much as fire his rifle. It broke in his skull with a 

 blow of its great paw, and then seized his arm in its 

 jaws, biting it through and through in three places, but 

 leaving the body and retreating into the bushes as soon 

 as the unfortunate man's companion approached. We 

 did not hear of the accident until too late to go after 

 the bear, as we were just about starting to join the 

 spring round-up. 



