THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 55 



come, the bear and me, d n our souls !" They did clear 

 the track, and the limb of the law rushed through the fire, 

 nor did he stop until he had run a good half-mile to the 

 rear. A few yells and shots checked the pursuing Bruin, 

 and caused it to retreat; so the foolhardy Blackstone es- 

 caped without suffering any greater injury than a good 

 scare, and being made the butt of many a joke. When the 

 party returned to town, the escapade of the judge was told 

 to all his friends; and they decided at once that the bear 

 pursued him to get some of the wine out of him, as it knew 

 that he generally carried enough for himself and the four 

 largest grizzlies in the country, and it was resolved to have 

 a share of it if possible. 



They tell some humorous tales in the West of how men 

 have killed grizzlies. One man, on being attacked, took 

 out his whiskey-bottle and gave the bear a smell of its con- 

 tents, and it fell dead at once, after giving a long howl of 

 agony. This story is intended to show the vileness of the 

 stuff sold in certain sections of the country ; and a vender 

 of strong fluids, if not liked, is sometimes called a grizzly- 

 killer. Another man was said to be so ugly that a bear, on 

 seeing him, committed suicide by hurling itself into a preci- 

 pice; and a ranting, long-winded, dreary preacher was said 

 to be so strong in lungs and larynx as to be able to blow a 

 grizzly into eternity in three howls. 



Notwithstanding the dangerous character of the animal 

 in its wild state, it is capable of being tamed, if taken young, 

 and, if treated kindly, will follow one about like a dog, until 

 it learns to know its strength ; and then it is apt to assert 

 its will and power at inconvenient times. I have seen sev- 

 eral of them in a state of semi-domestication in some places 

 on the Pacific Coast, but in no instance would they bear too 

 much familiarity when they reached adult age ; while they 

 were the deadly enemies of anything in the form of flesh, 

 from a dog, pig, or chicken to a rat. When the male and 

 female are caged together they indulge in the most unseem- 

 ly family quarrels, and fight viciously for the least morsel 

 of food. The former is a most ungallaut brute, and the 



