150 
GRIZZLY BEAR. 
form, for it varies from jet black in the young of the first and second 
winter to the. hoary gray of age, or of summer.” 
In Townsend’s “Narrative of a Journey across the Rocky Mountains to 
the Columbia River, &c.” (Philadelphia, 1839), we find two adventures 
with the Grizzly Bear. The first is as follows : The party were on Black 
Foot river, a small stagnant stream which runs in a northwesterly direction 
down a valley covered with quagmires through which they had great diffi- 
culty in making their way. “As we approached our encampment, near a 
small grove of willows on the margin of the river, a tremendous Grizzly 
Bear rushed out upon us. Our horses ran wildly in every direction, 
snorting with terror, and became nearly unmanageable. Several balls 
were instantly fired into him, but they only seemed to increase his fury. 
After spending a moment in rending each wound (their invariable prac- 
tice), he selected the person who happened to be nearest, and darted after 
him, but before he proceeded far he was sure to be stopped again by a ball 
from another quarter. In this way he was driven about amongst us for 
perhaps fifteen minutes, at times so near some of the horses that he received 
several severe kicks from them. One of the pack-horses was fastened upon 
by the brute, and in the terrified animal’s efforts to escape the dreaded 
gripe, the pack and saddle were broken to pieces and disengaged. One of 
our mules also lent him a kick in the head, while pursuing it up an adjacent 
hill, which sent him rolling to the bottom. Here he was finally brought 
to a stand. The poor animal was so completely surrounded by enemies 
that he became bewildered. He raised himself upon his hind feet, standing 
almost erect, his mouth partly open, and from liis protruding tongue the 
blood fell fast in drops. While in this position he received about six more 
balls, each of which made him reel. At last, as in complete desperation, 
he dashed into the water, and swam several yards with astonishing strength 
and agility, the guns cracking at him constantly. But he was not to 
proceed far. Just then, Richardson, who had been absent, rode up, and 
fixing his deadly aim upon him, fired a ball into the back of liis head, 
which killed him instantly. The strength of four men was required to 
drag the ferocious brute from the water, and upon examining liis body ho 
was found completely riddled ; there did not appear to be four inches of 
his shaggy person, from the hips upward, that had not received a ball. 
There must have been at least thirty shots made at him, and probably few 
missed him, yet such was his tenacity of life that I have no doubt he would 
have succeeded in crossing the river, but for the last shot in the brain. 
He would probably weigh, at the least, six hundred pounds, and was about 
the height of an ordinary steer. The spread of the foot, laterally, was ten 
inches, and the claws measured seven inches in length. This animal was 
