136 Hunting the Grisly 



lake, and his comrades were off fishing in a 

 dugout or pirogue. He himself was sitting 

 near the shore, by a little lean-to, watching 

 some beaver meat which was sizzling over the 

 dying embers. Suddenly, and without warn 

 ing, a great bear, which had crept silently up 

 beneath the shadows of the tall evergreens, 

 rushed at him, with a guttural roar, and seized 

 him before he could rise to his feet. It 

 grasped him with its jaws at the junction of 

 the neck and shoulder, making the teeth meet 

 through bone, sinew, and muscle; and turn 

 ing, tracked off toward the forest, dragging 

 with it the helpless and paralyzed victim. 

 Luckily the two men in the canoe had just 

 paddled round the point, in sight of, and 

 close to, camp. The man in the bow, seeing 

 the plight of their comrade, seized his rifle 

 and fired at the bear. The bullet went through 

 the beast s lungs, and it forthwith dropped 

 its prey, and running off some two hun 

 dred yards, lay down on its side and died. 

 The rescued man recovered full health and 

 strength, but never again carried his head 

 straight. 



Old hunters and mountain men tell many 

 stories, not only of malicious grislies thus at 

 tacking men in camp, but also of their even 



