IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS. 101 



thirty feet of the monster old plantigrade and her two young 

 hopefuls. She was a large savage-looking grizzly, and her 

 cubs were about half-grown. I felt perfectly secure, however, 

 for I was loaded for bear, even to the size and number of the 

 party I was looking at. I have one cartridge in the chamber 

 of the rifle and three more in my left hand ready for imme- 

 diate use, should the first fail to bring her down. As a 

 precautionary measure, however, I have taken a strap from my 

 pocket, tied one end around the breech of my rifle and the 

 other to my belt, so that if compelled to tree, my gun will go 

 up with me. 



The old she-bear, when I came in sight, at once raised on 

 her haunches to take a look at me. As she did so I took a 

 dead aim at her breast and fired. At the report she reeled, 

 staggered and fell ; but recovered strength enough to regain 

 her feet and started toward me. By this time I had another 

 cartridge in my gun, and a quick aim, a steady hand and a 

 pull just at the right instant planted a ball just above her 

 left eye, at which she dropped dead almost without a struggle. 

 The ball exploded when it struck and carried away a piece of 

 the skull from just above the ear nearly as large as my hand, 

 scattering her brains in every direction. The first ball, I 

 found on examination, had passed through her heart, tearing 

 it into a shapeless mass, but so great an amount of vitality 

 and brute force do these animals possess that they will with- 

 stand the effect of such a shot as even this several minutes 

 before death will ensue. 



To dispatch the two cubs was but the work of as many 

 seconds one shot to each being sufficient to lay them out. 

 The only trophies I could save from these were the claws Of 

 the old one, as it was getting so late that I could not take 

 time to skin them, nor could I carry the skins home if I did. 



When I reached the top of the canyon wall the sun was 



