luck the ball went into the butt of the tree.
If it had bin the other way, there would
ha' bin' a dead grizzly under that tree;
but I've allers had ill luck, and he only
got scared a bit, and then set to work agin.
Then I tried to rile him, and when he struck
work with the gun I dropped bits of stick
and fir-tops down on him, which made him
savage. Then I grinned at him, which, I
be shot, ef I don't think he didn't like! All
that arternoon I sat up that tree rilin' that
bar, but not a bit would he move, nary a
move! And so it went on till it got dark,
and I felt more than ever like gettin' deown,
but couldn't. Just then I heard a rattlin'
of horses' hoofs, and there came on the
prairie, not a hundred yards off, a lot of
our folks comin' home from the fandango
early, to a shine at Sutter's. I sung out,
and they halted, and the bar made off.
So I got down, with all my fine clothes torn
to rags and sticky with fir-gum, and all
the sympathy I got was that they never
left off laughing at me and my ball-dress
in those parts, and after a bit I couldn't
stand the chaff, and left that part of the
county, trappin' beaver up the Sacramento
with old Work. As for grizzlies, I've ever
since then had a prejudice agin' them. I
have, boys!"

After this story we filled our pipes anew,
lighting them with a brand from our fire,
and a man lying alongside me commenced
something as follows:

"Now, boys, as far as grizzlies are
concarned I can't say much, for this is my first
turn in the mountings. Not that I ain't
had my little adventoors. On the contrairy,
though I ain't seen grizzlies, I've seen a
sight worse. I guess mos' uv ye have heerd
of Injuns! These North-West Coast Indians
are a bad lot, you can't make anything of
them. Sometimes they're all right, at
other times they would pisen the very
ground you walk on. You can't buy 'em
up neither, gratitoode ain't in 'em. I was
runnin' express for a while down Fraser
River, and was allers kind to all the Injuns
that cum along thar, thinking that, maybe.
I might require their help yet. And so it
happened before long. Running the river
in my canoe, I got capsized on a snag,
and in two twos was in the water. I
made hard for the bank, but the current
was strong, and I thought I should never
do it. Just then I came round a bend of
the river, and there was a lot of Injuns
whom I knew, fishing on the bank, with
their canoes at hand. Then I yelled and
they yelled, and what did you think they
said to my hollors for help: 'Yes, but how
much are you going to give me?' Thar's
for you! After that I took mighty good care
that few fed at my expense on that river.
And then the critters are so cruel! Once
when I was tradin' at Port San Juan, I
saw them kill their prisoners in the most
cold-blooded manner you ever see, and
stick their heads on poles a-front of my
door. And when their slaves run away,
and they ketch them agin, don't the poor
critters get it! Once when I was up to
the Steken Diggins, old Shaker the chief
ketched one of his'n, and tortured him
dreadful. After that I gradually, like our
friend Bill with the grizzlies, 'got a
prejudice agin'' them Injuns, and once
when our schooner got into a muss with
some of these Eucaltaws at the Discovery
Rapids, I jest laid our bow chaser (a
brass one, and mighty handy) in a line
with about six or seven of thar best canoes,
quite filled with fightin' men, and jest raked
'em. You should hev' seen the scramblin'!
I guess there was a few of them that went
that day to the happy hunting ground. Just
then a breeze sprung up, and my pardner
and me showed a clean pair uv heels.
After that I rather cut the fur tradin',
boys. I found some of them mean cusses
had 'got a prejudice agin'' me, and were
ready to draw a bead on me at the first
fair opportunity. However, except once
in Victoria, where they couldn't swear to
me (no witnesses, boys!) and the Guv.
could do nothing, and they were afraid, I
never saw any of them agin until about
three years arterwards, only last fall. I
was then kind of odd man on an exploring
expedition at that time on the coast, and
our cap'n says to me: 'Jim, you jest take
two Injun boys and a canoe from Fort
Rupert, and go down to Victoria with them
letters for the governor, and go in an hour's
time. Take what provisions you want!'
And with that he turns away to another
part of the camp. Well, to tell you the
truth, I didn't much like the job, but our
cap'n wasn't a man to be fooled with, he
wasn't; so, I jest set to work and borrered
an extra six-shooter from one of our boys
and set off. I never felt so uncomfortable
in all my life before, but I jest timed
myself handy to pass the Eucaltaw Rapids
during the night: and mighty glad I was,
too, to get past about half-past two in the
morning, with a bright clear moon shining,
so that every house, and the very place
whar I raked the canoes, could be seen. I
guess if they'd seen me jest then, one man