fore-paw, and afterward to drag
it away and bury it. It can easily dig a hole with its cimeter-like
claws, and it usually buries what it can not devour, as a store to fall
back upon when provisions are scarce.

Hunters tell many stories of sharp contests between grizzlies and
buffaloes. The bear will prowl by the side of a herd, keeping under
cover of the bushes until some big fat fellow comes within easy reach,
when it rushes on its victim, and with one blow fells it to the ground.
The other buffaloes may rush to the rescue of their comrade, but the
powerful grizzly is generally a match for them all, and instances are
rare where the savage beast has been driven to crawl away defeated.

The claws of this beast are longer than a man's finger, and are very
much prized as ornaments by the Indians. To wear a necklace of bear's
claws, taken from an animal killed by himself, is one of the highest
ambitions of an Indian brave; for if he is thus decorated, his courage
and superior strength are acknowledged by his whole tribe. An Indian
will sell his horses, his blankets, everything he possesses, but nothing
can induce him to part with his bear-claw necklace, which marks him as
an invincible warrior. To obtain this coveted prize Indians will run the
most extreme risks. Are the enormous foot-prints of a grizzly discovered
in the vicinity of the camp, the men all set out in hot pursuit, and
many a poor Indian has lost his life in fierce encounter with this
monarch of the mountains. If the bear can be traced to its den among the
rocks, the Indians will lay trails of powder leading from the lair in
different directions, which, as they burn, set fire to the dry grass and
stubble. As the animal, startled by the smoke and flame, rushes from its
hiding-place, the Indians, who lie concealed behind rocks and bushes,
pelt it with blazing pine knots, and fire volley after volley from their
rifles into its body, until some lucky shot enters the heart or brain,
and the monster staggers and falls dead to the ground.

This beast has a strong hold on life, and has often been known to run
with great speed, and even to swim deep rivers, with twenty or more
large rifle-balls in its body. It is so difficult to kill, and so
furious when aroused, that a hunter will never attack the grizzly
single-handed if the encounter can be avoided. The hunter may escape by
climbing a tree; for although young grizzlies can climb like a cat, the
old bears can do n