st as the bar sprung at me, I flopped the blanket straight in
his face. I seed his snout a passin' through the hole, but I seed no
more; for I feeled the critter's claws touchin' me, an' I let go.

"Now, thunk I, wur my time for a run. The blanket mout blin' him a
leetle, an' I mout git some start.

"With this thort, I glid past the animal's rump, an' struck out over the
parairy.

"The direction happened to be that that led torst the camp, half a mile
off; but thur wur a tree nearer, on the side o' the hill. Ef I kud
reach that, I knowd I 'ud be safe enuf, as the grizzly bar it don't
climb.

"For the fust hundred yards I never looked round; then I only squinted
back, runnin' all the while.

"I kud jest see that the bar appeared to be still a tossin' the blanket,
and not fur from whur we hed parted kumpny.

"I thort this some'at odd; but I didn't stay to see what it meant till I
hed put another hundred yards atween us. Then I half turned, an' tuk a
good look; an' if you believe me, strangers, the sight I seed thur 'ud a
made a Mormon larf. Although jest one minnit afore, I wur putty nigh
skeart out o' my seven senses, that sight made me larf till I wur like
to bring on a colic.

"Thur wur the bar wi' his head right a-through the blanket. One minnit,
he 'ud rear up on his hind-feet, an' then the thing hung roun' him like
a Mexikin greaser. The next minnit, he 'ud be down on all-fours, an'
tryin' to foller me; an' then the Mackinaw 'ud trip him up, an' over he
'ud whammel, and kick to get free--all the while routin' like a mad
buffalo. Jehosophat! it wur the funniest sight this child ever seed.
Wagh!

"Wal, I watched the game awhile--only a leetle while; for I knowd that
if the bar could git clur o' the rag, he mout still overtake me, an'
drive me to the tree. That I didn't wan't, eyther, so I tuk to my heels
agin' and soon reached camp.

"Thur I saddled my mar, an' then rid back to git my gun, an', perhaps,
to give ole Eph'm a fresh taste o' lead.

"When I clomb the hill agin, the bar wur still out on the parairy, an' I
cud see that the blanket wur a-hanging around 'im. Howsomdever, he wur
makin' off torst the hills, thinkin', maybe, he'd hed enuf o' my kumpny.

"I wan't a-gwine to let 'im off so easy, for the skear he hed 'gin me;
besides, he wur traillin' my Mackinaw along wi' 'im. So I galluped to
whur my gun lay, an' havin' rammed home a ball, I then galluped arter
ole grizzly.

"I soon over