guard. At length the sheep-herder came to himself, rose up on his
elbows, and realizing that he was in the power of the young Grizzly,
he stepped gingerly over his guardian's back and ran off without even
saying "Thank you."

The Fourth of July was at hand now, and the owner of the tavern,
growing weary of the huge captive in the yard, announced that he would
celebrate Independence Day with a grand fight between a "picked and
fighting range bull and a ferocious Californian Grizzly." The news was
spread far and wide by the "Grapevine Telegraph." The roof of the
stable was covered with seats at fifty cents each. The hay-wagon was
half loaded and drawn alongside the corral; seats here gave a perfect
view and were sold at a dollar apiece. The old corral was repaired,
new posts put in where needed, and the first thing in the morning a
vicious old bull was herded in and tormented till he was "snuffy" and
extremely dangerous.

Jack meanwhile had been roped, "choked down," and nailed up in his
hogshead. His chain and collar were permanently riveted together, so
the collar was taken off, as "it would be easy to rope him, _if need
be, after the bull was through with him."_

The hogshead was rolled over to the corral gate and all was ready.

The cowboys came from far and near in their most gorgeous trappings,
and the California cowboy is the peacock of his race. Their best girls
were with them, and farmers and ranchmen came for fifty miles to enjoy
the Bull-and-Bear fight. Miners from the hills were there, Mexican
sheep-herders, storekeepers from Placerville, strangers from
Sacramento; town and county, mountain and plain, were represented. The