quite close to him. He then scrambled out of the coulie, put spurs to
his pony, and raced up to within fifty yards of the astonished bear ere
the latter quite understood what it was that was running at him through
the gray dawn. He made no attempt at fight, but ran at top speed towards
a clump of brush not far off at the head of a creek. Before he could
reach it, however, the galloping horsemen was alongside, and fired three
shots into his broad back. He did not turn, but ran on into the bushes
and then fell over and died.

In the other case the cowboy, a Texan, was mounted on a good cutting
pony, a spirited, handy, agile little animal, but excitable, and with
a habit of dancing, which rendered it difficult to shoot from its back.
The man was with the round-up wagon, and had been sent off by himself to
make a circle through some low, barren buttes, where it was not thought
more than a few head of stock would be found. On rounding the corner
of a small washout he almost ran over a bear which was feeding on the
carcass of a steer that had died in an alkali hole. After a moment of
stunned surprise the bear hurled himself at the intruder with furious
impetuosity; while the cowboy, wheeling his horse on its haunches and
dashing in the spurs, carried it just clear of his assailant's headlong
rush. After a few springs he reined in and once more wheeled half round,
having drawn his revolver, only to find the bear again charging and
almost on him. This time he fired into it, near the joining of the neck
and shoulder, the bullet going downwards into the chest hollow; and
again by a quick dash to one side he just avoided the rush of the beast
and the sweep of its mighty forepaw. The bear then halted for a minute,
and he rode close by it at a run, firing a couple of shots, which
brought on another resolute charge. The ground was somewhat rugged
and broken, but his pony was as quick on its feet as a cat, and never
stumbled, even when going at full speed to avoid the bear's first mad
rushes. It speedily became so excited, however, as to render it almost
impossible for the rider to take aim. Sometimes he would come up close
to the bear and wait for it to charge, which it would do, first at a
trot, or rather rack, and then at a lumbering but swift gallop; and he
would fire one or two shots before being forced to run. At other times,
if the bear stood still in a good place, he would run by it, firing as
he rode. He spent many cartridges