XII 

 MY FIRST TRIP TO THE SELKIRKS 



FOR years before I visited the district I had heard 

 wonderful stories of the grizzHes of the Selkirks. I 

 had heard how plentiful they were, and how ferocious they 

 were, and how many miners were killed by them every year. 

 I had met old prospectors and trappers who insisted that 

 several species were found among them — the Roach Back, 

 the Silver Tip, the Bald Face, and now and again a 

 Range bear. Of these they agreed that the Bald Face 

 was the most dangerous and the most aggressive, and 

 declared that he would turn from the trail for neither man 

 nor beast, but, with a chip on his large shoulder, was al- 

 ways on the lookout for some prospector whom he might 

 mangle for the fun of it. 



I confess that these reports attracted me. I thought 

 that the chance to hunt bears where the sport did not re- 

 quire so much sneaking and crawling as I had been accus- 

 tomed to would be much to my liking; and I determined 

 to take the first opportunity to visit a region where the bears 

 really themselves went hunting for the hunter. Accord- 

 ingly one spring, in company with Mr. T. C. Coleman of 

 West Virginia, and Dr. C. S. Penfield of Spokane, both 

 old hunting companions, I made a trip to the Wilson's 



