BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFOENIA. 67 



nearly two thousand pounds. I cut off one of his paws, 

 and walked back to the ranch. 



I imagine I can hear Captain Blazeaway of the Onety- 

 oneth, who " bags his tiger, sir, every day," exclaim, " A 

 pretty fellow this to go shooting bears ! funks at the 

 critical moment ! Bad form ; should come to India, see 

 our sportsmen." All very well, my dear sir, with your 

 forty beaters, two or three spare rifles, and an animal 

 that occasionally wants half a dozen rockets to make him 

 bolt. But let me place you face to face with a grizzly ; 

 no escape for one of you but by the death of the other — 

 for a grizzly courts the combat, never refuses it, — and if 

 you can get through the scrape without a quickening of 

 the heart and a certain sensation commonly and vulgarly 

 known as a " blue funk," you can do more than I could. 



On my way back I met Zack, enjoying his matutinal 

 pipe. " Back already, hey ? Guessed you would soon 

 have had enough of old Ben ; thought better of it, hey ? " 

 " Old Ben has had enough of me, 1 expect," said I ; 

 "heroes one of his paws, and some of his hair anyhow." 

 " Old Ben^s har ! why, dang it, I don^t believe it was 

 Ben. Had he one ear longer than toother, and one of 

 his right hind claws missing?" '^How the deuce should 

 I know ?" " Can^t be Ben ; ^tain't natural. Say (to the 

 farm hand) Britisher's fixed old Ben." Farm hand : 

 '^ Has he ! guess youVe got to pungle fifty dollars." 

 Zack: '^ Guess I have; there's Sal left though; she 

 may fix him; she's 'tarnal." "Farm hand: "Yes! Ben's 

 'tarnaler though ; I guess he can fix Sal." Zack : " Say ! 

 (to me) I've a bet on about Sal; I'll give you twenty- 

 five dollars not to fix her." "1 wouldn't take a thousand." 

 Zack : " 'Um ; reckon I feel kinder sick ; Sal's tarnal 

 tho'." 



p 2 



