His Fierceness 231 



ences: first, that they were themselves invariably the 

 attacking party; and second, that, even so, for every 

 bear that stayed to fight them, there were one or more 

 that ran away. 



Let us pass in rapid review the testimony of Lewis 

 and Clark. On April 29, 1805, Captain Lewis, with one 

 hunter, met "two white bears" their first. "Of the 

 strength and ferocity of this animal," the journal pro- 

 ceeds, "the Indians had given us terrible accounts." 

 (They had told them, among other things, that "they 

 rather attack than avoid a man.") Yet "hitherto," 

 says the journal, "those bears we had seen did not appear 

 anxious to encounter us," and, when Captain Lewis 

 and the hunter fired at these two and wounded both, 

 "one of them made his escape; the other turned upon 

 Captain Lewis and pursued him seventy or eighty yards." 



The next record is that of May 5th, when "Captain 

 Clark and one of the hunters met the largest brown bear 

 we have seen. As they fired it did not attempt to attack, 

 but fled with the most tremendous roar." On May 

 nth Bratton (the man who had boils), wounded his bear 

 and was pursued by it for half a mile. On May I4th 

 the rear guard of the party saw a large grizzly asleep 

 some three hundred yards from the bank of the river, and 

 six of them crept up within forty yards or more and all fired 

 at once. The furious animal charged them and was killed 

 with difficulty. On June I2th they killed two large griz- 

 zlies, each at the first shot. On June I4th Captain Lewis 

 had his experience with the grizzly that came upon him 

 when his gun was not loaded, and, after pursuing him so 

 long as he ran away, fled itself as soon as he faced round 



