144 
GRIZZLY BEAR. 
the direction from whence the reports came, running and hallooing, out 
could find no one. We then made the best of our way back to the boat 
and despatched three men, who discovered that the firing had been a t an 
elk, which was however not obtained. Mr. Bell killed a female elk and 
brought a portion of its flesh to the boat. After resting ourselves a while 
and eating dinner, Mr. Culbertson, Squires, and ourselves walked to the 
banks of the Little Missouri, distant about one mile, where we saw a 
buffalo bull drinking at the edge of a sand-bar. We shot him, and fording 
the stream, which was quite shallow, took away the 1 nerf ;’ the animal 
was quite dead. We saw many ducks in this river. In the course of the 
afternoon we started in our boat, and rowed about half a mile below the 
Little Missouri. Mr. Culbertson and ourselves walked to the body of 
the bull again and knocked off his horns, after which Mr. Culbertson 
endeavoured to penetrate a large thicket in hopes of starting a Grizzly 
Bear, but found it so entangled with briars and vines that he was obliged 
to desist, and returned very soon. Mr. Harris, who had gone in the same 
direction and for the same purpose, did not return with him. As we were 
approaching the boat we met Mr. Sprague, who informed us that he 
thought he had seen a Grizzly Bear walking along the upper bank of the 
river, and we went towards the spot as fast as possible. Meantime 
the Bear had gone down to the water, and was clumsily and slowly 
proceeding on its way. It was only a few paces from and below us, and 
was seen by our whole party at the same instant. We all fired, and the 
animal dropped dead without even the power of uttering a groan. Mr. 
Culbertson put a rifle ball through its neck, Bell placed two large balls 
in its side, and our bullet entered its belly. After shooting the Bear we 
proceeded to a village of ‘ prairie dogs’ ( Spermophilus Ludovicianus), and 
set traps in hopes of catching some of them. We were inclined to think 
they had all left, but Mr. Bell seeing two, shot them. There were thou- 
sands of their burrows in sight. Our 1 patroon,’ assisted by one of the 
men, skinned the Bear, which weighed, as we thought, about four hundred 
pounds. It appeared to be between four and five years old, and was a 
male. Its lard was rendered, and filled sundry bottles with ‘ real Bear’s 
grease,’ whilst we had the skin preserved by our accomplished taxidermist, 
Mr. Bell.” 
The following afternoon, as we were descending the stream, we saw 
another Grizzly Bear, somewhat smaller than the one mentioned above. 
It was swimming towards the carcase of a dead buffalo lodged in the 
prongs of a “ sawyer” or “ snag,” but on seeing us it raised on its hind 
feet until quite erect, uttered a loud grunt or snort, made a leap from 
the water, gained the upper bank of the river, and disappeared in an 
