BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 59 



'em you pretty quick^ Want to see 'em ! My eye ! 

 May be they'll want to see you.'' 



This idea of the bars wanting to see me seemed so 

 exquisitely droll to him^ that he continued chuckling to 

 himself for about five minutes, when, seeing I looked 

 rather annoyed, he said, ^^Waal, streanger, you've no 

 cause to get riled ; only, blarm me, I must rile a 

 Britisher, for I tell you there are precious few men 

 about here that's seen a grizzly once that wants to see 

 him again. I remember two chaps as came down to stay 

 with me once, and wanted to shoot a grizzly; waal, 

 sir, they had not been out half an hour before I reckon 

 they had a couple of grizzles a-hunting thein ; and you 

 can bet your boots they did hunt 'em. My ! how them 

 chaps did run and climb ! The bars they sot down at 

 the root of the tree for a whole solid week, and them 

 chaps had to keep themselves alive by eating their 

 boots, and when they gave out they had to wire in on 

 hay^Jc. So you can see, streanger, our bars are no 

 sardines. H'owever, I am making tracks to the ranch 

 to-morrow, and if you like you can come and see for 

 yourself. I guess I must find a few fixings to-night, so 

 I reckon we'll liquor up, and I'll go and get them." 



So we did "liquor-up," and the old beggar went off 

 to get his fixings. I could hear him laughing all the 

 way down the street, '^ "Want to see a grizzly, does he ? 

 Ho ! ho !" I bought a 501b. sack of flour, some coffee, 

 sugar, and one case of Old Bourbon whisky, with a 

 few plugs of tobacco for the old man, rolled up my 

 blankets, had my mustang caught overnight, and got 

 everything in readiness for an early start. In the course 

 of the evening it got noised about that the "Britisher 

 was gwoing to shute Zack's bars " (Zack was the name 



