92 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



The wounded animal tried to rise, but it could only suc- 

 ceed in dragging itself forward a few feet with its forelegs. 

 I knew then that both hind-legs were broken, and this in- 

 duced me to approach to close quarters to finish it; but I 

 found this a matter of difficulty, as the dogs were grouped 

 about it so densely that to shoot at it would endanger the 

 life of some of them. I tried to kick them away, but when 

 driven from one position they ran to another, and remained 

 there despite all my yelling. One of them, finally, was bold 

 enough to make a dash for the throat of the bear; but that 

 wily animal, being too prompt for it, caught it in its jaws, 

 and crushed it to death in five seconds, by breaking its 

 spinal column. I rushed in to save the poor brute, and 

 gave the bear a cut over the head with a keen-edged cime- 

 ter which I carried, but my blow was too late to preserve 

 its life, and, when it dropped to the ground, its spirit had 

 flown to the unknown canine world. I thought the blow 

 was sufficient to cut the bear's head open, but I had not 

 calculated on the thickness of the skull ; and the result was 

 that I only inflicted a severe wound, which made the animal 

 so furious that it turned on me in the twinkling of an eye, 

 and, before I knew what it was about, struck me so severe- 

 ly on the arm with one of its paws that the clothing was 

 torn away from shoulder to wrist, and I received a wound 

 which, though not deep, was long, and very painful. When 

 I saw the blood streaming out I became fairly incensed, 

 and drawing my revolver, a short forty-one calibre, carry- 

 ing a large charge of powder and a long bullet, I fired at its 

 head in rapid succession until I emptied every chamber, 

 and when all were discharged the animal was lying dead. 

 Some of the bullets went clean through the skull and came 

 out on the opposite side ; and one of them wounded a cur 

 that would insist on keeping in the way, in the shoulder. 



When the conflict was over, the ground was freely sprin- 

 kled with blood, and the bear's face was fairly covered with 

 it, from the wound inflicted by the cimeter. I then turned 

 my attention to my arm, and soon had that bound up, using 

 my linen for a bandage; and when that was done I felt 



