THE GRIZZLY AND BLACK BEAR 
About a hundred yards distant was an immense grizzly in the act of 
unburying a dead mule deer buck which was half covered with earth and 
leaves. The bear was evidently of unusual size and strength for we saw 
him pick up the buck, which was a full grown male, and throw it to one 
side as if it was a rabbit. He then proceeded to remove the entrails and to 
bite off one of the haunches. As I was the guest, I was given the first shot 
and, aiming carefully, I fired, and at once saw the grizzly lying on its 
back emitting roars of pain and rage. Jack and Geoff then fired and one 
of the bullets told again. 
Our hunter here made a bad mistake and said, “ keep down now or he 
will come for us,” which, in our ignorance, we at once proceeded to do. 
We watched the titanic struggle for two or three minutes, the bear rolling, 
roaring and biting at the wounded parts. After a minute it rose, and going 
up to a small ash commenced to bite and tear at the bark. 
“ He’s going to die now,” said Jack, but die he certainly did not. Suddenly 
he turned in our direction and, after one quick glance, charged straight. 
Whether he was actually charging or not I do not know to this day, but he 
certainly came in a bee-line within twelve yards of our position, and was 
then hidden by an immense windfall of fallen trees at least six feet high. 
I will give Jack the credit by saying he was perfectly ready whilst my 
brother and I were fumbling for fresh cartridges. The timber stopped the 
charge and we could only see the line of the bear’s back as he jumped off 
at right angles. The next view we had of him was racing over the open 
about 100 yards to our right, and we then saluted him with the whole 
battery. One shot again hit him and he fell, only to rise again at once and 
continue his flight. After a short pause we followed the trail, now well 
sprinkled with blood, and took it to the edge of a vast willow swamp on 
the edge of which the bear had again fallen and rolled. The bear had 
retreated in this dense cover and it was not likely we should meet it 
except at close quarters, when there was sure to be trouble. 
“ Are you game to go in after him, boys ? ” suggested the valiant Jack. 
Of course we accepted the challenge and entered the thicket with, I 
must confess, some misgiving. We tracked the bear in all its various 
windings, and every time a cottontail rabbit or a deer moved nearly shot 
one another, but after half an hour’s suspense the trail was lost and we 
returned to the horses in melancholy mood. 
We camped close by and every evening I went to the swamp in the hope 
of seeing ravens hovering over the carcass, but, alas, without success. 
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