136 Reminiscences of 



the passage was badly blocked by windfalls, which we 

 had much difficulty in getting through, particularly 

 at the point we wished to arrive at. 



We had to climb over lots of logs and branches 

 and expected that the bear would take alarm, but 

 when we came near the end of the point and could look 

 out we saw our bear still feeding undisturbed. But 

 such a monster we had never seen before, and he looked 

 to be the size of an ox. I began to feel an apprehen- 

 siveness I had not before, and I whispered to D aland 

 and Twing, asking if they thought we had better go 

 on in our purpose, considering the surroundings and 

 the possibility of escape in case of wounding the bear 

 if he should drive for us. I made a mental calculation 

 in this wise : What is the bear worth to kill ? Perhaps 

 a hundred or two hundred dollars. What is my life 

 worth to me? More than several millions of worlds. 

 I don't believe it is a reasonable proposition and I 

 decline. Twing was inclined to risk it, but Daland 

 thought as I did. We very cautiously returned the 

 way we came. 



Our great bear hunt was over. Our hunter guide, 

 when we related our experience to him, considered that 

 it would have been very imprudent for us to have shot 

 at the grizzly, and related the experience of a hunter 

 friend of his who at this time was laid up in the North 

 Park, whom they called "Old Kentuck," terribly bit up 

 and mangled by a grizzly which came upon him after 

 being wounded, and it was a question if he would 

 recover. 



Mr. De la Vergne afterward related to me his ex- 

 perience with a grizzly which he shot at from a repeat- 

 ing rifle while out prospecting for mineral ores. The 



