IN THE FAR ll'EST. 69 



flee, but before it cuuld disappear I put a bullet into its thigh, 

 and it fell cm the ground in a heap, and growling- terribly. 

 Before I could fire a second time a small army of Indian curs 

 were waltzing-, grinning, growling, and barking about it, and 

 nipping it on the flanks; but after every successful bite they 

 retreated backwards rapidly, or turned tail and bounded away 

 for a short distance. 



The wounded animal tried to rise, but it could only succeed 

 in dragging itself forward a few feet with its forelegs. I knew 

 then that both hind legs were broken, and this induced me to 

 approach to close quarters to finish it, but I found this a matter 

 of difficulty, as the dogs were grouped about it so densely that 

 to shoot at it would endanger the life of some of them. I tried 

 to kick them away, but when driven from one position they 

 ran to another and remained there despite all my yelling. One 

 of them, finally, was bold enough to make a dash for the throat 

 of the bear, but that wily animal being too prompt for it, 

 caught it in its jaws, and crushed it to death in five seconds, 

 by breaking its spinal column. I rushed in to save the poor 

 brute, and gave the bear a cut over the head with a keen- 

 edged scimitar which I carried, but my blow was too late 

 to preserve its life, and when it dropped to the ground its 

 spirit had flown to the unknown canine world. 1 thought the 

 blow was sufficient to cut the bear's head open, but 1 had not 

 calculated on the thickness of the skull, and the result was 

 that I only inflicted a severe wound, which made the animal so 

 furious that it turned on me in the twinkling of an eye and 

 before I knew what it was about struck me so severely on the 

 arm with one of its paws that the clothing was torn away from 

 shoulder to wrist, and I received a wound which, though not 

 deep, was long and very painful. When I saw the blood 

 streaming out I became fairly incensed, and drawing my 

 revolver, a short forty-one calibre, carrying a large charge of 

 powder and a long bullet, I fired at its head in rapid succession 

 imtil I emptied every chamber, and when all were discharged 

 the animal was lying dead. Some of the bullets went clean 

 through the skull and came out on the opposite ^ulc ; and one 



