so badly that two blows of the
hammer were generally required to explode one of them. Notwithstanding
this serious defect of his weapon, Searles had so poor an opinion of
the Grizzly that he went out alone after the bear several miles from
camp. There was some snow on the ground and on the brush, and finding
bear tracks, Searles tied his horse and took the trail afoot. He found
a bear lying asleep under the brush and killed it, and while he was
standing over the body he heard another bear breaking brush in a
thicket not far away.

Leaving the dead bear, he took up the trail of its mate and followed
until his clothing was soaked with melting snow and the daylight was
almost gone. The bear halted in a dense thicket and Searles began
working his way through the chaparral to stir him up. Of course the
bear was not where his tracks seemed to indicate him to be, and the
meeting was sudden and unexpected. The bear rose within two feet of
the hunter and almost behind him. There was neither time nor room to
put rifle to shoulder, and Searles swung it around, pointed it by guess
and fired. The ball did little damage, but the powder flash partly
blinded the bear and it came down to all-fours and began pawing at its
eyes, giving Searles an opportunity to throw in another cartridge and
take fair aim at the head.

If Searles had not forgotten in his excitement the defect of his
weapon, the bear fight would have been ended right there. He pulled
trigger with deadly aim, but the rifle missed fire. Instead of
re-cocking the piece and trying a second snap, he worked the lever,
threw in a new cartridge and pulled the trigger. Again no explosion.
Again he failed to remember the trick of the rifle, and tried a third
cartridge, which also missed fire.

Then the bear became interested in the affair and turned upon the
hunter at close quarters. Seizing the barrel of the rifle in his jaws,
the Grizzly wrenched it from Searles's grasp, threw it aside and hurled
himself bodily upon his foe. Searles went down beneath the bear.
Placing one paw upon his breast the bear crunched the hunter's lower
jaw between his teeth, tore a mouthful of flesh from his throat and
took a third bite out of his shoulder. Then he rolled the man over,
bit into his back and went away.

The cold Californian night saved the man's life by freezing the blood
that flowed from his wounds and sealing up the torn veins. He was a
robust, hardy man, and he pull