THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 49 



morning. The mandate was promptly complied with, and 

 each brave, donning his bear mask or skin, danced as he 

 had never done before, while the vocal appeal of all to the 

 great bear spirit to be kind to them was sung with the 

 greatest esprit. As soon as they had imitated all the atti- 

 tudes and cries of the bear with mouth, hands, and feet, 

 Tarpello jumped into the bounding circle and roared and 

 danced like a mad man, or bear; but every time he at- 

 tempted to escape he was driven back, no matter how sud- 

 den his onslaughts were, nor how varied his stratagems. 

 When the dance was over, the doctor told him his medicine 

 power and heart were so great that he would kill his foe 

 and bring joy to the whole tribe through his prowess, if ho 

 would only follow his advice ; and this he promised to do. 

 Having received his instructions, he and two of his kindred 

 started after their burly foe, and, having found its lair, they 

 laid a line of powder toward it from three directions, and 

 perching themselves on trees to the leeward, awaited the 

 arrival of the dreaded brute. Toward nightfall it was 

 heard approaching ; and having allowed it to get comforta- 

 bly settled in bed, they fired the powder-trails, then ran for 

 shelter to a large crag that lay on the route in which the 

 villanous saltpetre was not placed. The powder, when ig- 

 nited, spluttered along rapidly and set the grass and dry 

 twigs on fire ; and it was not long before the blaze reached 

 the lair and sent "Ephraim" out in a tremendous hurry, 

 and thoroughly frightened. Making for the only pathway 

 free from fire, it ambled rapidly onward ; but on reaching 

 the rock on which its enemies were concealed, it was check- 

 ed suddenly in its course by having blazing pine knots 

 thrown before it. Before it could decide what the new 

 danger was, it received volley after volley from the repeat- 

 ing rifles of the Indians, who were guided in their aim by 

 the lighted torches, and it soon laid a corpse at their feet. 

 Highly elated with their success, they dragged the carcass 

 to camp on an improvised sledge made of boughs, and held 

 a carnival over it for two or three days. All the members 

 of the tribe celebrated the victory by a feast on the body, 



3 



