ACROSS THE ROCKY 3I0UNTAINS, ETC. 97 



approach as near him as possible, in order to try the efficacy of 

 a ball planted directly in the centre of the forehead. I had heard 

 of this experiment having been tried without success, and I wished 

 to ascertain the truth for myself. 



" Taking the wind" of the animal, as it is called, (that is, 

 keeping to leeward, so that my approach could not be perceived 

 by communicating a taint to the air,) I crawled on my hands and 

 knees with the utmost caution towards my victim. The un- 

 wieldy brute was quietly and unsuspiciously cropping the herb- 

 age, and I had arrived to within ten feet of him, when a sudden 

 flashing of the eye, and an impatient motion, told me that I was 

 observed. He raised his enormous head, and looked around him, 

 and so truly terrible and grand did he appear, that I must con- 

 fess, (in your ear,) I felt awed, almost frightened, at the task I 

 had undertaken. But I had gone too far to retreat; so, raising 

 my gun, I took deliberate aim at the bushy centre of the fore- 

 head, and fired. The monster shook his head, pawed up the 

 earth with his hoofs, and making a sudden spring, accompanied 

 by a terrific roar, turned to make his escape. At that instant, 

 the ball from the second barrel penetrated his vitals, and he 

 measured his huge length upon the ground. In a few seconds 

 he was dead. Upon examining the head, and cutting away the 

 enormous mass of matted hair and skin which enveloped the 

 skull, my large bullet of twenty to the pound, was found com- 

 pletely flattened against the bone, having carried with it, through 

 the interposing integument, a considerable portion of the coarse 

 hair, but without producing the smallest fracture. I was satis- 

 fied ; and taking the tongue, (the hunter's perquisite,) I returned 

 to my companions. 



This evening the roaring of the bulls in the gang near us is 



terrific, and these sounds are mingled with the howling of large 



packs of wolves, which regularly attend upon them, and the hoarse 



screaming of hundreds of ravens flying over head. The dreaded 



13 



