38 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



ferocious beast. I was well armed, too, with my favorite rifle, 

 a Colt's revolver, that never disappointed me, and a nonde- 

 script weapon, a sort of cross betwixt a clay-more and a bowie- 

 knife ; so, after capping afresh, hanging the bridle on the horn 

 of the saddle, and, staking my mule, I followed the trail up a 

 gully, and much sooner than I expected came within view and 

 good shooting distance of Bruin, who was seated erect, with 

 his side towards me, in front of a manzanti bush, making a 

 repast on his favorite berry. 



The sharp click of the cock causing him to turn quickly 

 round, left little time for deliberation ; so, taking a ready 

 good aim at the region of the heart, I let drive, the ball (as I 

 subsequently found) glancing along the ribs, entering the 

 armpit, and shattering smartly some of the shoulder bones. I 

 exulted as I saw him stagger and come to his side ; the next 

 glance, however, revealed him, to my dismay, on all fours, 

 in direct pursuit, but going lame ; so I bolted for the mule, 

 sadly encumbered with a huge pair of Mexican spurs, the 

 nervous noise of the crushing brush close in my rear convinc- 

 ing me he was fast gaining on me; I therefore dropped my 

 rifle, putting on fresh steam, and reaching the rope, pulled 

 up the picket-pin, and springing into the saddle with merely a 

 >hold of the lariat, plunged the spurs into the mule, which, 

 much to my affright produced a kick and a retrograde 

 movement ; but in the exertion having got a glimpse of my 

 pursuer, uttering a snort of terror, he went off at a pace I did 

 not think him capable of, soon widening the distance betwixt 

 us and the bear ; but having no means of guiding his motions, 

 he brought me violently in contact with the arm of a tree, 

 which unhorsed and stunned me exceedingly. Scrambling 

 to my feet as well as I could, I saw my relentless enemy close 

 at hand, leaving me the only alternative of ascending a tree ; 

 but, in my nervous efforts, I had scarcely my feet above his 

 reach, when he was right under, evidently enfeebled by the 

 loss of blood, as the exertion made it well out copiously. After 



