IN THE FAR WEST. 47 



shrubbery, it was deemed the wisest plan not to pursue her, for 

 we did not want to have any dead or wounded men to dispose 

 of, and we were anxious to resume the march in order to get 

 some tidings of the red foe who was then on the war-path, and 

 whose movements we were employed to watch. I learned on 

 that occasion from an Indian hunter that the female, when she 

 is accompanied by her cubs, is much more dangerous than the 

 male, even in the rutting season, and that she will boldly face 

 anything living that may approach or threaten her darlings. 

 As an instance of this, he related the case of a friend of his who 

 captured a cub about two months old, and was hastening 

 homeward with it when he was suddenly arrested by hearing 

 some animal tearing through the bushes behind him. Looking 

 around, he saw a female grizzly bounding towards him at her 

 best pace, her eyes all aflame with rage, and her mouth 

 frothing. Knowing that he could not escape her if he stuck 

 to his prize, he threw it on the ground and fled, but the mother 

 did not stop in her course on account of meeting her cub, and 

 pursued him until he disappeared from her sight in a precipice. 

 Feeling safe there, the red man halted to ease his breathing, 

 and he could then hear the loud yet gruff calls of the mother 

 to her cub. lie felt so thankful for his hair-breadth escape 

 then that he never tried cub-stealing again, for in his opinion 

 an enraged grizzly mother is as bad and fierce as the spirits 

 of evil. 



One of the pleasantest chases after grizzlies that I ever enjoyed 

 came ofTin Southern California. The party, myself exeepted, 

 was composed of Greasers, or native Californians, and two 

 Mexican Spaniards. As the hunt was organized for the special 

 purpose of driving the bears out of a section of country where 

 they were committing sad havoc among sheep, we selected 

 the best and most experienced mustangs to be found in a large 

 area, and arming ourselves with rifles and revolvers we started 

 for the foot-hills from our rendezvous at five p.m., and encamped 

 that night under the shade of some oak-trees, having built a 

 rousing fire to keep away all quadrupedal intruders. After 

 supper we devoted ourselves assiduously up to midnight to 

 puffing cigarettes, singing songs, and relating hunting ex- 



