RUSTLINGS IN THE ROCKIES. 45 



more around his nose, and at the first sight of the infuriated 

 beasts had taken a turn around his hand with the lariat. The 

 horse reared and charged until he threw Huffman into the 

 branches of the tree to which he was tied, and lodged him in 

 them six feet from the ground. We were all fearfully rattled 

 for a moment, for the assault was so purely unnatural and 

 unexpected. 



We should not have been half so much surprised had the 

 assaulting party been Indians, but we did not expect and 

 were not prepared for either. But we pulled our knives and 

 rushed at them, yelled like savages, swung our hats, and 

 when they found we were not going to run they halted, 

 looked at us a moment, turned and walked slowly and sulkily 

 back up the hill into the thick underbrush, and were out of 

 sight by the time they had gone twenty yards. Mike now 

 got hold of his gun and started in pursuit, leaving Huffman 

 and I still in charge of the horses. He walked cautiously up 

 the hill a few paces looking for the game, when suddenly the 

 old female bear sprang at him from a clump of bushes right 

 at his side. 



She was within six feet of him when he first saw her, and 

 there was no time for shooting; at least he thought there 

 wasn't, and he turned and came back down the hill bare- 

 headed, his face as fair as a lily, his hair (what little he had) 

 and his coat-tail standing straight out behind him, clearing 

 about twenty feet at each jump, and the bear lighting in his 

 tracks as soon as he was out of them. Huffman and I left 

 the horses, rushed at the bear again, whooped and yelled for 

 life (that is, for Mike's life), and again succeeded in 

 checking the savage brute. She walked sullenly back up the 

 hill again. I now got hold of my rifle and reinforced Mike. 

 W T e both moved on the enemy, this time more cautiously, 

 Mike shaking like a leaf from the terrible rattling he had 



