n man,' it would make a supper for our whole
party; and with the cheering idea of supper, jokes were ventured upon--
the first we had heard for some time--the hunters tickled with the
novelty of unearthing the `old man' ready roasted, and speculating
whether he would prove a `fat old hoss.'

"A hollow crack sounded from above, like the breaking of a dead tree.
We looked up. A large object--an animal--was whirling outward and
downward from a ledge that projected half-way up the cliff. In an
instant it struck the earth, head foremost, with a loud `bump,' and,
bounding to the height of several feet, came back with a somersault on
its legs, and stood firmly.

"An involuntary `hurrah!' broke from the hunters, who all recognised, at
a glance, the `Carnero cimmaron,' or `bighorn.' He had cleared the
precipice at two leaps, alighting each time on his huge crescent-shaped
horns.

"For a moment, both parties--hunters and game--seemed equally taken by
surprise, and stood eyeing each other in mute wonder. It was but for a
moment. The men made a rush for their rifles, and the animal,
recovering from his trance of astonishment, tossed back his horns, and
bounded across the platform. In a dozen springs he had readied the
selvedge of the snow, and plunged into its yielding bank; but, at the
same instant, several rifles cracked, and the white wreath was crimsoned
behind him. He still kept on, however, leaning and breaking through the
drift.

"We struck into his track, and followed with the eagerness of hungry
wolves. We could tell by the numerous _gouts_ that he was shedding his
life-blood, and about fifty paces farther on we found him dead.

"A shout apprised our companions of our success, and we had commenced
dragging back the prize, when wild cries reached us from the platform,--
the yells of men, the screams of women, mingled with oaths and
exclamations of terror!

"We ran on towards the entrance of the track. On reaching it, a sight
was before us that caused the stoutest to tremble. Hunters, Indians,
and women were running to and fro in frantic confusion, uttering their
varied cries, and pointing upward. We looked in that direction--a row
of fearful objects stood upon the brow of the cliff. We knew our enemy
at a glance,--the dreaded monsters of the mountains--the grizzly bears!

"There were; five of them--five in sight--there might be others in the
background. Five were enough to destroy our whole party, caged