HUNTING THE GRISLY. 113 



In the cases mentioned above the grisly at* 

 tacked only after having been itself assailed, 

 or because it feared an assault, for itself or 

 for its young. In the old days, however, it 

 may almost be said that a grisly was more apt 

 to attack than to flee. Lewis and Clarke and 

 the early explorers who immediately succeeded 

 them, as well as the first hunters and trappers, 

 the " Rocky Mountain men " of the early 

 decades of the present century, were repeat* 

 edly assailed in this manner ; and not a few 

 of the bear hunters of that period found that 

 it was unnecessary to take much trouble about 

 approaching their quarry, as the grisly was 

 usually prompt to accept the challenge and to 

 advance of its own accord, as soon as it discov- 

 ered the foe. All this is changed now. Yet 

 even at the present day an occasional vicious old 

 bear may be found, in some far-off and little-trod 

 fastness, which still keeps up the former habit 

 of its kind. All old hunters have tales of this 

 sort to relate, the prowess, cunning, strength, 

 and ferocity of the grisly being favorite topics 

 for camp-fire talk throughout the Rockies ; 

 but in most cases it is not safe to accept these 

 stories without careful sifting. 



Still, it is just as unsafe to reject them all. 

 One of my own cowboys was once attacked by 

 a grisly, seemingly in pure wantonness. He 

 was riding up a creek bottom, and had just 

 passed a clump of rose and bullberry bushes 

 when his horse gave such a leap as almost to un- 

 seat him, and then darted madly forward. 

 Turning round in the saddle to his utter aston- 

 8 



