THE BEAR "MONARCH." 195 



other will carefully avoid man and all his 

 works. 



The predictions of an ursine invasion of 

 Mount Pinos were not fulfilled and when 

 it became clear that the few grizzlies in 

 the neighborhood were too timid and wary 

 to be caught, the expedition struck camp 

 and moved on, leaving the traps set for 

 luck. 



Considerable annoyance was caused by a 

 discharged mule-packer, who carried away 

 tools required in trap building, and em- 

 bezzled quite a sum of money. The fellow 

 had attempted to impose upon the corre- 

 spondent by whittling out pine-bark mod- 

 els of bear's feet, with which to make 

 tracks around the trap; and had proposed 

 various swindling jobs to others of the 

 party, explaining that the "Examiner was 

 rich and they might as well get a hack at 

 the money." He had opened and read let- 

 ters intrusted to him for mailing, and had 

 proved himself generally a faithless scamp 

 and an unconscionable liar. A written de- 



