Followers of Lewis and Clark 27 



with the grizzly. From another part of the transactions 

 of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, 

 I quote a curious version of this Indian legend. The re- 

 port runs: "that among all animals that had been for- 

 merly in this country this was the most ferocious; that it 

 was the largest of the common bears and remarkably long 

 bodied. All over (except a spot of hair on its back of a 

 white color) naked. That it attacked and devoured man 

 and beast, and that a man or a common bear only served 

 for one meal for one of these animals; that with its teeth 

 it could crack the strongest bones; that it could not see 

 very well, but in discovering its prey by scent it exceeded 

 all other animals; that it pursued its prey with unremit- 

 ting ravenousness, and that there was no other way of 

 escape but by taking to a river, and either swimming 

 down the same or saving one's self by means of a canoe; 

 that its heart being remarkably small, it could seldom be 

 killed with an arrow; that the surest way of destroying 

 him was to break its backbone; that when a party went 

 out to destroy this animal they first took leave of their 

 friends and relations at home, considering themselves as 

 going on an expedition, perhaps never to return again; 

 that when out they sought for his track, carefully attend- 

 ing to the course the wind blew and endeavoring to keep 

 as near as possible to a» river; that every man of the party 

 knew at what part of the body he was to take his aim; 

 that some were to strike at the backbone, some at the 

 head, and others at the heart; that the last of these animals 

 known of was on the east side of the Mohicanni Sipu 

 (Hudson's River) where, after devouring several Indians 

 that were tilling their ground, a resolute party, well pro- 



