236 HUNTING TRIPS 



a bear killed a man not very far from my 

 ranch. It was at the time of the floods. Two 

 hunters came down the river, by our ranch, 

 on a raft, stopping to take dinner. A score 

 or so of miles below, as we afterwards heard 

 from the survivor, they landed, and found a 

 bear in a small patch of brushwood. After 

 waiting in vain for it to come out, one of 

 the men rashly attempted to enter the thicket, 

 and was instantly struck down by the beast, 

 before he could so much as fire his rifle. It 

 broke in his skull with a blow of its great 

 paw, and then seized his arm in its jaws, 

 biting through and through in three places, 

 but leaving the body and retreating into the 

 bushes as soon as the unfortunate man's com- 

 panion approached. We did not hear of the 

 accident until too late to go after the bear, 

 as we were just about starting to join the 

 spring round-up. 



