st” Sane 
first alarm, before we had a chance to shoot, he was 
back in the woods, and it was too dark to follow him 
there. Another time, just as we were cresting a hill, 
we saw three grizzlies—a she bear and her two cubs 
—cozily at play. Richardson and Swiss, who were 
ahead, immediately wounded two of them without 
killing them, and followed them on horseback. My 
horse had been so lame for some days past that I 
could take no part in the hunt. Our hunters raced 
after the bears, and were soon out of sight. The rest 
of us went slowly forward. After a time Richard- 
son came back with the skin of one of the bears, but 
Swiss stayed out all night. Only during the next 
morning did he rejoin us, and told us how first he had 
chased the bear, and then the bear him. His solitary 
pistol missed fire, and only by repeated snapping of 
the flint lock could he keep the enraged beast at bay, 
until he could get time to pour fresh powder on the 
pan and lay his pursuer low. 
On September 3rd we came quite unexpectedly to 
the left bank of the South Fork and crossed the river. 
On the right bank there are here three forts, only 
some miles apart. Penn’s [Bent’s] and St. Vrain’s 
fort, Vasquez and Sublett’s and Lobdon’s fort. The 
construction is the customary one; the outer walls are 
of half-baked brick. There is much rivalry and en- 
mity between the three forts. In the first fort we 
found part of the scattered Columbia party from Pe- 
oria. Inthe second I met the well-known Fitzpatrick, 
who has passed through many an adventure during his 
Journey from 
Fort Crocket 
to the South 
Fork 
