A PANORAMIC GRIZZLY-BEAR HUNT 269 



What we saw was an oblong speck of dull black, with 

 a faintly-discernible wedge of a lighter tint driving into 

 it from the left side. 



"Are you sure it's a grizzly? " 



" It's a silver-tip all right," said John Phillips. " I 

 can see the light mark behind the fore-leg." 



" He's eating berries," said Charlie Smith. " There 

 nowl he's standing on his hind legs! " 



The bear was on a slide that had become overgrown 

 with bushes, and quite near to an island-like patch of 

 several acres of green timber, — an excellent refuge in 

 time of trouble. West of that another slide ran down; 

 and beyond that lay a tract of several hundred acres of 

 green timber, in which the chase of an able-bodied bear, 

 at four-thirty P. M., would be quite hopeless. The dis- 

 tance from the creek up to the bear was about half a 

 mile, and as usual, the ascent was steep and tangled. 



It was then twenty minutes of four o'clock, and it 

 would be dark at six. Of course the hunt led directly 

 away from camp. It would take first class work to get 

 over to that bear, find it, and kill it before sunset, saying 

 nothing of getting back to camp. It was a thrilling mo- 

 ment, and called for swift action. 



" That bear is two good miles from here," said Char- 

 lie, breathing hard. 



" Well, if we get him before night we've got to be 

 a-movin'! " said Mack very earnestly. 



"Then get ready for a run!" cried Mr. Phillips. 

 " Can you make it. Director? " 



Now, I am no gambler; but I take pride in knowing 



