Bears I Have Met—and Others

untain, not far from the Mariposa grove of Big Trees, told th

press rifle, carrying a half-inch ball, backed by 110

s reputation for vitality and staying powers in a fight. There is no doubt that he is a very tough animal and a

ly, and coming across the plains I talked to my comrade, Green, about what I should do if I should get a chance at a bear. I was a prett

the thick brush and chaparral only on the trails made by bears, and we had to go carefully for fear of running upon a Grizzly at close quarters. Although it

ed to climb a tree on the other side of the clearing and get a good view of the surrounding thick

expected, and it struck me that the proper thing for me was to get into that tree before shooting. I got to the tree all right enough, but found that I couldn't

alongside we both turned and raised our rifles. When the bear saw that we were standing our ground, he stopped, looked at us a moment and then turned and shuffled back

arious at my expense and kept reminding me of the brave things I had said coming across the plains. He was so everlastingly tickled with his joke that he sat up all that

dam in the belly. They all turned and ran down through the brush toward the rest of the crowd, and got out of our range. "The noise made by them in running through the brush stirred up another squad, and when the shooting began down below five bears came tearing out on our side to get out of the way. Willis raised his rifle and pulled the trigger, but luckily the cap failed to explode. The five turned as soon as they saw us and ran in an

up and look over a patch of brush to locate her enemy, and somebody would give her a shot. She would drop to all fours and gallop around to where she saw the man

ad to step lively. While he was waiting to see which way the bear was coming next, he made motions with his hand, pointing to the nipple of his rifle, to indicate that he wanted caps. I saw what he meant, but i

whenever he got a chance, one of the cubs keeled over and the dam an

hole outfit. One of the party crawled cautiously into the thicket and presently he fired. Then he called to me to come in, and when I crawled up to him he said: 'I've killed the c

t of me and suddenly sprang up and rushed at me. She was almost upon me in two jumps, and I thought I was in for a bad time of it. I had no time to aim, but pushed out my rifle instinctively and fired in her face. The bullet struck her in the mouth, and the pain caused her to stop,

ound more than thirty bullets in her. We had been shooting at her and dodging her in the brush from 11 o'clock in the forenoon;

as the first bear meat ever taken into Sonora, and everybody in the camp wanted a piece. In the morning there was a line of men at Dodge's shop like the crowd waiting at a theatre for Patti ticke

more Grizzly meat. He didn't come back, and the boys who went out to look for him found his body, covered up wi