A Bear-Hunt in the Sierras 



ers. Moreover they are so clever that I doubt 

 not this one knew already by scent and subtle 

 process of ratiocination how many of us there 

 were in camp, where we were from, the color 

 of our hair, what sort of rifles we carried, their 

 caliber, how heavy a bullet and how many 

 grains of powder they fired. This is said in the 

 light of after events and of further experience. 

 That afternoon, in our unjustifiably san- 

 guine forecast, we had hopes of finding this 

 particular bear. The half-witted " Portugee," 

 of whom I have spoken, showed especial 

 zeal in the presence of the pah'on, and in- 

 sisted, in spite of mild and repeated caution, 

 in going ahead and scrupulously investigating 

 every possible ambuscade where there was the 

 remotest chance of finding the bear, or, what 

 was much more likely, of the bear finding him. 

 In consideration of the fact that this was a she 

 one which we were after, that she was proud 

 and well fed, and on the lookout for pursuit, 

 had the "Portugee" found her, she would in 

 all probability have received his visit with cor- 

 dial warmth. Not speaking his tongue fluent- 

 ly, I was unable to express my solicitude except 

 by signs and admonitory gestures. The rest 

 of the party apparently seemed to think that, 



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