then, acting suddenly with purpose, walked to the water-hole. Gringo
watched his chance, and as she floundered in the mud and stooped he
reared and struck with all his force. Square at her skull he aimed,
and the blow went straight. But Gringo knew nothing of horns. The
young, sharp horn, upcurling, hit his foot and was broken off; the
blow lost half its power. The beef went down, but Gringo had to follow
up the blow, then raged and tore in anger for his wounded paw. The
other cattle fled from the scene. The Grizzly took the heifer in his
jaws, then climbed the hill to his lair, and with this store of food
he again lay down to nurse his wounds. Though painful, they were not
serious, and within a week or so Grizzly Jack was as well as ever and
roaming the woods about Fallen Leaf Lake and farther south and east,
for he was extending his range as he grew--the king was coming to his
kingdom. In time he met others of his kind and matched his strength
with theirs. Sometimes he won and sometimes lost, but he kept on
growing as the months went by, growing and learning and adding to his
power.

Kellyan had kept track of him and knew at least the main facts of his
life, because he had one or two marks that always served to
distinguish him. A study of the tracks had told of the round wound in
the front foot and the wound in the hind foot. But there was another:
the hunter had picked up the splinters of bone at the camp where he
had fired at the Bear, and, after long doubt, he guessed that he had
broken a tusk. He hesitated to tell the story of hitting a tooth and
hind toe at the same shot till, later, he had clearer proof of its
truth.

No two animals are alike. Kinds which herd have more sameness than
those that do not, and the Grizzly, being a solitary kind, shows great