r three times,
came directly for Wright with a fierce growl. The party all took to
their heels and separated, but the bear soon overtook Wright and with
one blow of his paw struck the man, face downward, upon the snow and
began biting him about the head, back and arms. The other hunters,
seeing the desperate case of their companion, rushed up and fired at
the bear at close range, fortunately killing him with a bullet in the
base of the brain.

Wright, on being relieved of the weight of his antagonist, sat up in a
dazed condition, with the blood pouring in streams down his face. He
had received several severe bites in the back and arms, but the worst
wound was on the head, where the bear had struck him with his claws.
His scalp was almost torn from his head, and a large piece of skull
some three inches in diameter was broken out and lifted from the brain
as cleanly as if done by the surgeon's trephine.

Strange to say, Wright complained of but little pain, excepting from a
bite in the arm, and soon recovered his senses. His comrades replaced
the mangled scalp, and bleeding soon ceased. A fire was built to keep
him warm and while one watched with the wounded man the other returned
to the trail to intercept a pack train. On the arrival of the mules,
Wright was helped upon one of their backs, and rode unaided to the
Baker ranch.

A surgeon was sent for from Greenwood Valley, who, on his arrival,
removed the loose piece of bone from the skull and dressed the wounds.
The membranes of the brain were uninjured, and the man quickly
recovered, but of course had a dangerous hole in his skull that
incapacitated him for work. One Sunday, some weeks afterward, the
miners held a meeting, subscribed several hundred dollars and sent
Wright home to his friends in Boston.

* * * * *

Mike Brannan was a miner on the Piru River in Southern California. The
river, or creek, runs through a rough mountain district, and Brannan's
claim was in the wildest part of it. He and his partner met a Grizzly
on the trail, and Brannan had no better judgment than to fire his
revolver at the bear instead of getting out of the way. The Grizzly
charged, smashed the partner's skull with a blow and tumbled Brannan
over a bank.

Brannan was stunned by the fall, and when consciousness returned he saw
the bear standing across his body, watching him intently for signs of
life. He tried to keep perfectly still and hold his brea