290 The Wilderness Hunter. 



There is, however, one very real danger to which the 

 solitary bear-trapper is exposed, the danger of being 

 caught in his own trap. The huge jaws of the gin are easy 

 to spring and most hard to open. If an unwary passer-by 

 should tread between them and be caught by the leg, his 

 fate would be doubtful, though he would probable die under 

 the steadily growing torment of the merciless iron jaws, 

 as they pressed ever deeper into the sore flesh and broken 

 bones. But if caught by the arms, while setting or fixing 

 the trap, his fate would be in no doubt at all, for it would 

 be impossible for the stoutest man to free himself by any 

 means. Terrible stories are told of solitary mountain 

 hunters who disappeared, and were found years later in 

 the lonely wilderness, as mouldering skeletons, the 

 shattered bones of the forearms still held in the rusty 

 jaws of the gin. 



Doubtless the grisly could be successfully hunted with 

 dogs, if the latter were carefully bred and trained to the 

 purpose, but as yet this has not been done, and though 

 dogs are sometimes used as adjuncts in grisly hunting 

 they are rarely of much service. It is sometimes said 

 that very small dogs are the best for this end. But this 

 is only so with grislies that have never been hunted. 

 In such a case the big bear sometimes becomes so irritated 

 with the bouncing, yapping little terriers or fice-dogs that 

 he may try to catch them and thus permit the hunter to 

 creep upon him. But the minute he realizes, as he 

 speedily does, that the man is his real foe, he pays no 

 further heed whatever to the little dogs, who can then 

 neither bring him to bay nor hinder his flight. Ordinary 



