218 SPOKT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



enough for that purpose, but their cowardice was 

 so great that I never could get them to face a 

 dangerous animah The very sight of a bison fright- 

 ened them, and as for the grizzly bear, you only had 

 to mention his name to put them into a fit. I killed 

 two or three bisons without getting the slightest 

 help from my people, except from Sambo, who 

 stuck to me bravely whatever happened, even when 

 he was shaking with fright. One day" (continued 

 Mr. Jeffery), " in the afternoon, I halted near a pond 

 where wild animals of ditferent kinds came to drink. 

 Their tracks were all round the banks, and the 

 Canadians (who knew the place well) advised us to 

 pitch our camp at some distance, because the grizzly 

 bears were very savage, and we might easily lose 

 some of our horses, if indeed we were not attacked 

 ourselves. So warned, after the horses had quenched 

 their thirst, I marched them off to a valley about 

 two miles off, and there pitched the camp. 



"We lighted a large fire to scare the beasts of prey, 

 and let the horses browse upon the grass among the 

 rocks which surrounded us. I then sounded my 

 men, to see which of them had the courage to accom- 

 pany me in an encounter with the grizzly bear. 

 Only three accepted the proposition. We left the 

 others in camp, ordering them to keep up a good 

 fire and see that the horses did not wander too far. 

 We reached the drinking -pi ace about sunset, and 

 having brought spades with us, we dug a pit three 



