294 THE MINDS AND MANNERS 



her near the cage bars, which gave us a chance to fight for her. 

 We beat him over the head; we drove big steel spikes into 

 him; and we rammed him with planks, not caring how many 

 bones we might break. But each time that we beat him off, 

 and the poor harried female rose to her feet, he flung himself 

 upon her anew, crushed her down upon the snow, and fought 

 to reach her throat! 



Gallantly the female fought for her life, with six wild men 

 to help her. After a long battle, it seemed like hours, but 

 I suppose it was between twenty and thirty minutes, the 

 male bear recognized the fact that so long as the female lay 

 near the bars his own punishment would continue and the 

 end would be postponed. Forthwith he seized his victim and 

 dragged her inward and down to the ice that covered the 

 swimming-pool in the centre of the den, beyond our reach. 

 The floor of the den was so slippery from ice and snow that it 

 was utterly unsafe for any of our men to enter and try to 

 approach the now furious animal within striking distance. 



Very quickly some choice pieces of fresh meat were thrown 

 within six feet of the bears, in the hope that the male would 

 be tempted away from his victim. In vain! Then, with all 

 possible haste, Keeper Mulvehill coiled a lasso, bravely entered 

 the den, and with the first throw landed the noose neatly 

 around the neck of the male bear. In a second it was jerked 

 taut, the end passed through the bars, and ten eager arms 

 dragged the big bear away from his victim and close up to the 

 bars. Another lariat was put on him to guard against break- 

 ages, and no bear ever missed being choked to death by a 

 narrower margin than did that one. That morsel of revenge 

 was sweet. While he was held thus, two men went in and 

 attached a rope to the now dying female, and she was quickly 

 dragged into the shifting-cage. 



But the rescue came too late. At the last moment on the 

 ice, the canine teeth of the big bear had severed the jugular 

 vein of the female, and in two minutes after her rescue she was 

 dead. 



