250 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



that she may live to fight, she stays to kill that she may 

 eat. Oh ! for a tree ! If there had been one in sight 

 I would have risked running for it, as Grizzlies are not 

 good climbers like the Black Bear ; but there I was, 

 1 could neither run nor shoot. ^ly enemy gave a grin 

 and a growl and took another step forward, clawing at 

 me. I dared not lift my rifle to my shoulder, lest she 

 should grab the muzzle, but I managed to grasp the 

 barrel, and swinging it round brought the butt down on 

 the Grizzly's nose with a heavy blow. She was only 

 enraged by it, not stunned, and gave a growl, gnashing 

 lier teeth with a horrible noise. P"'or a moment I ex- 

 pected no other fate than to become tlie supper for the 

 little Bears ! 



" Something cold slipped along my shoulder and 

 touched my cheek. Fortunately I had sufficient nerve 

 not to turn — there was a sharp report close to n^y 

 head that made me deaf and kept my ears ringing for 

 months afterward, but the Bear pitched forward, just 

 clearing me, and rolled down the rocks to a ledge below, 

 shot through her wicked eye. 



" Then I turned. Joe was behind me, calm and cool 

 as if he had merely shot a Squirrel. 



" ' I saw her a-comin' from the open yonder, and I 

 reckoned you'd be wantin' me 'bout now. Never mind 

 skinnin' her until we get our Bighorn — she'll stay 

 down thar till we call fer her ! I reckoned that shot 

 would scare the Bighorns, but it hasn't ; they must be 

 a green bunch that haven't ever been hunted,' he said, 

 looking around the corner. 



" Sure enough ; the rocks screened us, and the ram 

 had merely shifted his position, while the whole bunch 



