THE TRAPPER 143 



instance the she-bear hadn't a chance, and was 

 doomed ere she issued from her den. 



The natives of Alaska, poorly armed, mostly with 

 Winchesters worn out and untrustworthy, have an 

 inherent respect for the bear tribe peculiar to all 

 those who share their fastnesses with the dangerous 

 arctoids whose exploits are the basis for most wild 

 folk-tales of the world ; they ever endow the bear 

 with a reputation which places the animal in the 

 forefront of all keen-witted, well-armed beasts 

 of prey. And all unknowingly something of this 

 mysterious respect the average trapper imbibes. 



A wild series of thrusts and encircling prods 

 roused the semi-dormant bear to fury. Subter- 

 ranean growls shook the snow-covered den, not the 

 usual " Woofs I" which often indicate that the bear 

 himself is badly startled, but a fierce succession of 

 grumbly snarls. The snow cracked and vibrated 

 with the lashing around inside the hollow, and still 

 the trapper turned his pole remorselessly. When 

 the she-bear would emerge he could not guess, 

 neither did he much care. The sense of hunting 

 something was on him — a grand, primeval " defend 

 yourself" sort of feeling, which makes wits sharp 

 and senses keen. 



