344 Hunting Trips on the Prairie 



grislies in the open, but they were going up hill and 

 we down, and, moreover, the old one kept stopping. 

 The cub would forge ahead and could probably have 

 escaped us, but the mother now and then stopped 

 to sit up on her haunches and look round at us, when 

 the cub would run back to her. The upshot was 

 that we got ahead of them, when they turned and 

 went straight up one hillside as we ran straight 

 down the other behind them. By this time I was 

 pretty nearly done out, for running along the steep 

 ground through the sage brush was most exhaust 

 ing work; and Merrifield kept gaining on me and 

 was well in front. Just as he disappeared over a 

 bank, almost at the bottom of the valley, I tripped 

 over a bush and fell full-length. When I got up I 

 knew I could never make up the ground I had lost, 

 and besides, could hardly run any longer ; Merrifield 

 was out of sight below, and the bears were laboring 

 up the steep hillside directly opposite and about three 

 hundred yards off, so I sat down and began to shoot 

 over Merrifield s head, aiming at the big bear. She 

 was going very steadily and in a straight line, and 

 each bullet sent up a puff of dust where it struck the 

 dry soil, so that I could keep correcting my aim ; and 

 the fourth ball crashed into the old bear s flank. She 

 lurched heavily forward, but recovered herself and 

 reached the timber, while Merrifield, who had put 

 on a spurt, was not far behind. 



I toiled up the hill at a sort of trot, fairly gasp 

 ing and sobbing for breath ; but before I got to the 

 top I heard a couple of shots and a shout. The old 



