The Bear and the Bison. 



for the ford behind the cabin, where the carcase of a deer killed the 

 previous day was probably the goal for which he was making. I 

 have never had another chance to shoot grizzlies from the door of a 

 cabin, though Clark said he had done soon several occasions before. 

 This I quite believe, for in spring, to judge by signs, bear were 

 plentiful about that little log hut, separated as it was by ninety miles 

 of wilderness from the nearest human habitation. 



The bagging of another large partnership grizzly was also fraught 

 with an amusing incident. My trapper companions were in the habit 

 of erecting gun traps for bear. These contrivances consisted of 

 an old double-barrelled gun with barrels cut down to half their 

 length, and loaded with two spherical bullets. The trap consisted 

 in a sort of passage six feet or so in length, constructed of logs 

 piled upon each other, at the end of which the bait, consisting of a 

 quarter of deer, was displayed in such a manner that the bear when 

 making a grab at the meat would pull off the two barrels and 

 receive the full charge in his breast or throat. On the day in 

 question I thought I would accompany Port on his round of beaver 

 and bear trap inspection. When we reached the first bear trap we 

 saw from quite a distance off that it had been sprung, for the snow 

 was stained with bucketsful of blood, and it was surprising that 

 the animal was not lying there dead. But gone the bear was, and 

 we at once followed the gory trail at a gallop. The trap, we knew, 

 had been sprung the evening before, and as no animal could 

 survive such a wound very long, we expected, of course, to come 

 upon our dead prize any moment. On the other side of the valley 

 the ground rose quite steeply, and the slope was covered with the 

 scrub cedar so often found close to the timber-line. To our surprise 

 the trail led up this slope. In following it, it was all our horses 

 could do to scramble up, and we had our hands full steering clear 

 of the low-growing branches, which obliged us to lean forward as 

 far as we could. I was leading ; suddenly Boreas seemed to crouch 

 down under me in abject terror, and, looking up, I saw a very live 

 and very large looking grizzly standing in a raised position not 

 1 2ft. from the horse's head, pawing the air with one foreleg 



