Ii8 HUNTING THE GRISLY. 



of a winding and rather shallow coulie, got 

 quite close to him. He then scrambled out 

 of the coulie, put spurs to his pony, and raced 

 up to within fifty yards of the astonished bear 

 ere the latter quite understood what it was 

 that was running at him through the gray 

 dawn. He made no attempt at fight, but ran 

 at top speed towards a clump of brush not fai 

 off at the head of a creek. Before he could 

 reach it, however, the galloping horseman 

 was alongside, and fired three shots into his 

 broad back. He did not turn, but ran on in- 

 to the bushes and then fell over and died. 



In the other case the cowboy, a Texan, was 

 mounted on a good cutting pony, a spirited, 

 handy, agile little animal, but excitable, and 

 with a habit of dancing, which rendered it 

 difficult to shoot from its back. The man was 

 with the round-up wagon, and had been sent 

 off by himself to make a circle through some 

 low, barren buttes, where it was not thought 

 more than a few head of stock would be found. 

 On rounding the corner of a small washout he 

 almost ran over a bear which was feeding on 

 the carcass of a steer that had died in an alkali 

 hole. After a moment of stunned surprise 

 the bear hurled himself at the intruder with 

 furious impetuosity ; while the cowboy, wheel- 

 ing his horse on its haunches and dashing in 

 the spurs, carried it just clear of his assail- 

 ant's headlong rush. After a few springs he 

 reined in and once more wheeled half round, 

 having drawn his revolver, only to find the 

 bear again charging and almost on him. 



