Nights with the Grizzlies 



and had not the sand to come further, but 

 changing his direction to the left about forty- 

 five degrees, passed within twenty yards of 

 my right front. I was loaded and ready for 

 another shot as he passed. He appeared so 

 near done for, however, that I hesitated to 

 fire, wishing to have some practice on him 

 for my two young dogs Bob and Snip, which 

 had never seen a live bear. He, however, 

 seemed, after passing, to mend his licks so fast 

 that I feared he would give trouble in de- 

 spatching him, so I ran rapidly after him, 

 he in the mean time having partially dis- 

 appeared under the bank ; and when within 

 fifteen or twenty yards he turned at bay, 

 facing me. Before he could charge, if such 

 was his aim, the i io-340-grain cartridge was 

 delivered into the side of the neck w^ithin the 

 collar-bone, making a fearful wound, and roll- 

 ing him down into the gulch, where he soon 

 died. It was only after my man had come up 

 and the bear had been rolled over that his 

 dimensions and the danger I escaped by the 

 little ball doing such execution at the socket- 

 joint were realized. Had it struck an inch 

 and a half to the left, he would have been on 



219 



