ough."

"That's well. Who fired the shot as finished her? Don't say you let
Juan or Sam, or I won't forgive you."

"I fired the last, and brought her down," said Bart quietly enough.

"That's right," said Joses, "that's right; you ought to be a good shot
now."

"But are you not hurt at all?" asked Bart.

"Well, I can't say as I arn't hurt," replied Joses, "because she knocked
all the wind out of me as she sent me down so quickly, and she scratched
a few bits of skin off as well as my clothes, but that don't matter:
skin grows again, clothes don't. Humph, here comes the Doctor with the
things."

"A narrow escape for him, Bart. But how about the grizzly?"

"Dead, sir, quite dead," replied Bart. "Are we likely to see Mr
Grizzly as well?"

"No, I think not, my boy. Mother and cubs generally go together."

"Now, Joses, let me dress your back."

"No, thank ye, master, I can dress myself, bless you."

"No, no, I mean apply some of this dressing to those terrible
scratches."

"Oh, if that's what you mean, master, go on. Wouldn't they be just as
well without?"

"No, no; turn round, man."

Joses obeyed, and Bart shuddered as he saw the scores made by the
monster's hideous claws, though Joses took it all quietly enough, and
after the dressing threw his blanket over his shoulders, to walk with
his master and Bart, to have a look at the grizzly lying there in the
gathering shades of night.

It was a monster indeed, being quite nine feet long, and massive in
proportion, while its great sharp curved claws were some of them nearly
six inches from point to insertion in the shaggy toes.

Such a skin was too precious as a trophy to be left, and before daylight
next morning, Juan, Harry, and Sam were at work stripping it off, Bart,
when he came soon after, finding them well on with their task, Joses
being seated upon a fragment of rock contentedly smoking his cigarette
and giving instructions, he being an adept at such matters, having
stripped off hundreds if not thousands of hides in his day, from bison
cattle and bear down to panther and skunk.

"I ain't helping, Master Bart," he said apologetically, "being a bit
stiff this morning."

"Which is a blessing as it ain't worse," said Harry; "for you might have
been much worse, you know."

"You mind your own business," growled Joses. "You're whipping off great
bits o' flesh there and leaving 'em on the skin."

"Well, see how hard it is when it's cold," grumb