62 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



two violent gasps. The fallen man was picked up more 

 dead than alive, as his arm and chest were fearfully lacer- 

 ated, his face was one mass of blood, and his side had the 

 flesh torn off from the arm to the abdomen. He was a 

 most ghastly object to gaze at, and, as his limp form was 

 borne away, I did not expect to see him reach camp alive. 

 When re -enforcements arrived several lariats were sent 

 for, and with these the fallen monarch was dragged near 

 the canyon, and left there while we went to get some break- 

 fast. When that was finished, the bear was skinned, and 

 the flesh distributed equally among all the hunters ; but it 

 became a delicate question as to who should receive the 

 claws. I relinquished all pretensions to them, however, in 

 the promptest manner, and this was reciprocated by the 

 chief giving me the hide. The claws were then divided 

 between the chief and the wounded warrior; and the lat- 

 ter, I know, felt as delighted with them as if he had cap- 

 tured the scalps of several of his foes. 



As the injured man could not be moved, it was decided 

 to rest one day to see if he would improve ; and if not, to 

 leave him behind and push ahead as rapidly as possible to 

 make up for lost time. A second reason for remaining a 

 day longer in camp, though it was only mentioned inci- 

 dentally, was to procure meat ; for the destruction commit- 

 ted by the grizzly had placed several on very short rations, 

 and his flesh could not supply the loss. The women were 

 commanded to secure wood for the fires, and while they 

 were engaged in that work the braves went on a deer-hunt. 

 Their success was greater than could be expected, owing 

 to the abundance, of the animals and their .unsuspicious 

 character, as most of them had probably never seen man ; 

 so twelve mule-deer were brought into camp in the even- 

 ing. When we began to draw near the wigwams we heard 

 the wailing of women, and this announced to us at once the 

 fact that the young brave was dead. On entering the can- 

 yon, I noticed that all the female friends of the deceased 

 were grouped around his tent and howling fearfully, while 

 his aged father and his brothers sat apart in gloomy silence. 



