hair, and feathers.
Yes, I have been right to home since I located."

"But grizzly bears? How frightful!"

"Yes. They was frightened at first. The coarse treatment they gets from
hunters, makes them sort of bashful with any stranger. Ye see, b'ars
yearns to man, same as the heathen does to their fool gods, whereas
bullets, pizen, and deadfalls is sort of discouraging. Their sentiments
get mixed, they acts confused, and naturally if they're shot at, they'll
get hostile same as you and me. They is misunderstood, and that's how
nobody has a kind word for grizzlies."

"But the greatest hunters are afraid of them."

"The biggest criminals has got most scare at police. B'ars has no use
for sportsmen, nor me neither. My rifle's heaps fiercer than any b'ar,
and I've chased more sportsmen than I has grizzlies."

"Wasn't Mr. Trevor one of them?"

Jesse grinned.

"Tell me," I said, for the other side of the story must be worth
hearing.

"Wall, Mr. Trevor took out a summins agin me for chasing him off my
ranch. He got fined for having no gun license, and no dawg license, and
not paying his poll-tax, and Cap Taylor bound him over to keep the
peace. I ain't popular now with Mr. Trevor, whereas he got off cheap.
Now, if them b'ars could shoot--"

I hadn't thought of that. "Can they be tamed?" I asked.

"Men can be gentled, and they needs taming most. Thar was three
grizzlies sort of adopted a party by the name of Capen Adams, and camped
and traveled with him most familiar. Once them four vagrants promenaded
on Market Street in 'Frisco. Not that I holds with this Adams in
misleading his b'ars among man-smell so strong and distrackful to their
peace of mind. But still I reckon Capen Adams and me sort of takes after
each other. I'm only attractive to animals."

"Oh, surely!" I laughed.

But Jesse became quite dismal. "I'm not reckoned," he bemoaned himself,
"among the popular attractions. The neighbors shies at coming near my
ranch."

"Well, if you protect grizzlies and hunt sportsmen, surely it's not
surprising."

"Can't please all parties, eh? Wall, perhaps that's how the herd is
grazing. Yes. Come to think of it, I remember oncet a Smithsonian grave
robber comes to inspect South Cave. He said I'd got a boneyard of some
ancient people, and he'd rob graves to find out all about them olden
times. He wanted to catch the atmosphere of them days, so I sort of
helped. Robbing graves ain't exactly a holy vocation, the party