124 
WILD AMERICANS 
Uncle Ely was saying. He stopped the car and trailer 
at a railroad crossing, made sure no train was in sight, 
then crossed the tracks. Soon he continued his true 
story about grizzlies. 
'The biggest grizzlies might weigh up to two thou¬ 
sand pounds—think of it—two thousand pounds! 
Usually they were nearer eight hundred or twelve 
hundred, but even that was enough to whip anything 
else in the wilds. 
“They were absolutely unafraid, until man invent¬ 
ed some high-powered rifles that could kill at long 
range. They would run from nothing, and if both¬ 
ered they would show fight at once. All they asked 
was to be let alone.” 
Father interrupted him at this point. 
“You keep saying 'were , 1 Ely. Are there no more 
grizzlies?” 
“Oh, yes, a few. A few in the wilder sections, 
especially up in Canada. I understand that several 
have been seen lately in our Rocky Mountain wilder¬ 
ness, where there are no towns or villages for many 
miles. But too many of them have been uselessly 
slain. It is a shame to see such fine animals killed . 11 
“Could we ever see a live grizzly, Uncle Ely ? 11 
asked Buck. 
