Humans and bears - Wild encounters

[brotherbear]

California's Day of the Grizzly by Willam B. Secrest.

"James Clyman, His Diaries and Reminiscences," California Historical Society Quarterly, June, 1925:

...As he emerged from the thicket he ( Jedediah Smith ) and the bear met face-to-face. Grizzly did not hesitate a moment but sprang on the capt taking him by the head first. Pitching sprawling on the earth he gave him a grab by the middle fortunately catching by the rifle ball pouch and Butcher Knife which he broke but breaking several of his ribs and cutting his head badly none of us having any surgical Knowledge what was to be done one Said come take hold and he would say why not you so it went around...

I got a pair of scissors and cut off his hair and then began my first Job of dressing wounds upon examination I found the bear had taken nearly all his head in his capacious mouth close to his left eye on one side and close to his right ear on the other and laid the skull bare to near the crown of the head leaving a white streak where his teeth passed one of his ears was torn from his head out to the outer rim after stitching all the other wounds in the best way I was capabl and according to the captains directions the ear being the last I told him I could do nothing for his Eare O you must try to stitch up some way or other said he.

Maurice S. Sullivan, The Travels of Jedediah Smith, 1934:

Early in the morning Mr. Rodgers went after the ( previously ) wounded bear in company with John Hanna. In a short time Hanna came running in and said that they had found the bear in a very bad thicket. That he suddenly rose from his bed and rushed on them. Mr. Rodgers fired a moment before the bear caught him. After biting him in several places he went off, but Hanna shot him again, when he returned, caught Mr. Rodgers and gave him several additional wounds. I went out with a horse to bring him in and found him very badly wounded being severly cut in... 10 or 12 different places. I washed his wounds and dressed them with plasters of soap and sugar. Reply