178 In the United States vi 



injuring the latter. I often examined that eye of 

 poor Jim's with a view of releasing it from its too 

 permanent curtain. The grizzly had performed a 

 most remarkable operation, for a bear's paw is not 

 exactly an instrument well adapted for performing 

 operations in ophthalmic surgery. In consequence 

 of this state of his right eye he could only shoot 

 from his left shoulder, a difficult thing to do, especi- 

 ally with a military rifle with the hammer on the 

 right side, so he had to poke and twist about for a 

 moment or two in order to cross the sights on the 

 unarmed Englishman, who, wisely remaining seated, 

 shouted to the somnolent Griff, " Jim's on the shoot ! " 

 Now Griff — who had made up his mind that the 

 thing would have to be done sooner or later, for 

 the Mountain One was a terrible customer in his 

 mad fits — always kept at his bed-head a scatter-gun 

 loaded with " blue whistlers." Starting up he seized 

 this, bounced out of the door, and " let 'im have it ! " 

 as they say in those parts. Curiously enough, he 

 clean missed Jim with the first barrel, but killed his 

 pony with a single chance shot But the second 

 barrel — oh ! poor Mountain Jim ! 



' Now, what do you think Griff did when he saw 

 the effect of that second barrel ? Why, he jumped 

 on his mare and rode thirty odd miles to the first 

 Justice of the Peace in the Plains, and took out a 

 warrant against the man he had just shot for assault- 

 ing him and others. This warrant proved very 

 useful, for it enabled Lord Dunraven, who behaved 



