TWENTY YEARS IN THE ROCKIES. 7Q 



fired at him, still he wavered not. One shot had hit his 

 hind leg. When he passed me, I gave him two broadsides 

 and he came to grass. 



Some one called out, "A bear !" To say that we all ran 

 to get the first shot would not be doing justice to our loco- 

 motion ; we merely touched the ground in high places. The 

 bear was in a thicket, and we sent in a large dog after him. 

 As he was charging the dog out we fired a half-a-dozen 

 shots, some of the boys hitting him. We had not gone two 

 hundred yards when some one on our side of the stream 

 motioned us to a large patch of wild plum bushes. He had 

 seen a large grizzly (ursus horribilis) go in there, which 

 we soon had corraled. I was on the upper side. Some one 

 below said : "Close in and let the hounds loose." 



I stood where I could command a good view, and hesi- 

 tated about closing in ; but, as I had never killed a bear and 

 was very desirous for a good shot at one, I obeyed the com- 

 mand, jumping the thorny bushes. I looked before me and 

 saw the bear coming straight toward me. I turned and tried 

 to run, but jumping down hill and up hill are very different. 

 The thorns caught my clothes and held me. On came the 

 bear, looking backward toward the boys below, who had 

 started him. I gave him a chance to change his route, but he 

 came straight ahead. He did not see me, but I could see his 

 turned-up nose and powerful claws, and my hair, in its en- 

 deavor to stand upright, fairly raised my hat from my head. 

 With my rifle cocked, I waited for him to come closer, hop- 

 ing to get a shot at the side of his head or the butt of his 

 ear. In desperation I raised my rifle, gave a slight whistle 

 to call his attention, and, as he raised his monstrous head, 

 I gave him a ball just above and between the eyes. To my 

 relief he fell backward, tearing up earth and bushes, cover- 

 ing the ground with his blood. 



