186 TRUE BEAR STORIES. 



ment Sparkuhle ran into the camp and be- 

 gan to tell excitedly what had happened 

 to him. He was so intensely interested 

 in his story that he paid no attention to a 

 three-tined fork that was sticking in him 

 just below the end of his back. He said 

 he was awakened by the noise in camp, 

 and looking up thought he saw the burro 

 standing over him. Seizing his pillow he 

 made a swipe at the animal, and said, "Get 

 away, Balaam!" and then the supposed 

 burro hit him a clip and knocked him spin- 

 ning over the edge of the bank, but the 

 blow did no further damage because 

 Sparkuhle was rolled up in half a dozen 

 blankets. The noise of his arrival among 

 the tinware alarmed the bear and when 

 the party got out with lights and guns he 

 was out of sight. Sparkuhle slept in the 

 cabin after that. 



Two days later the big bear went into 

 a sheep camp near the mill, while the 

 herder was cooking supper, stampeded the 

 sheep right over the fire, caught one and 



