THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 53 



pole, having only one lateral branch, and on this the first 

 one up seated himself, while his companion had to try and 

 hold on around the trunk with his arms and legs. Such a 

 state of things could not, as a matter of course, last long, 

 and the wretched man below, as his strength was giving 

 way, felt that there were only a few minutes between him- 

 self and eternity. When he thought of his wife and young 

 family, he burst into tears and lamentations, and was look- 

 ed upon with contempt for doing so by the individual safe 

 above. The fatal moment came at length, when his strength 

 was exhausted, and abandoning himself to what he could 

 not prevent, he closed his eyes and slipped helplessly down 

 the tree ; but, fortunately for him, the bear was on a line 

 beneath him, and he fell on its back. This was a most 

 unexpected meeting to the grizzly, and the result was that 

 it fled in the wildest panic. Seeing the co^st clear, the 

 "percher" came down, and accompanied the grizzly-driver 

 to the encampment ; but the latter, fearing that his actions 

 had been anything but heroic, and that he would be an ob- 

 ject of ridicule among his people if they were described, 

 offered his companion several presents if he would pre- 

 serve secrecy about the matter ; and this he promised, but 

 not until after he had stripped the poor fellow of every- 

 thing he possessed. A few months later the percher got 

 drunk, and went all over the camp proclaiming his com- 

 panion's disgrace, and ridiculing him. The latter was so 

 incensed at this outrage that he procured a rifle, and going 

 to where the scandal-monger was uttering his sentiments, 

 shot him dead before all his auditors. These two incidents 

 might prove that the most effective means of routing a 

 grizzly is to go up a tree and tumble down on it suddenly ; 

 yet I would not advise any person to try it. 



Judge we may say Blank of San Francisco, a famous 

 Nimrod and lover of good wine, had an adventure once 

 with a grizzly that displayed both humor and courage. 

 Having been elected one of a select few that were going 

 out for a week's shooting among the grouse and quail, he 

 was asked to be ready to join the party at a very early 



