Five in Five Shots 67 



powder, and had had swages made to swage slugs that 

 would weigh six hundred grains of soft lead. One of 

 these placed in the centre of a grizzly's shoulder never 

 failed to decide matters. 



I took a sitting position that afforded me a right-hand 

 quartering shot at the big fellow and a left-hand quarter- 

 ing shot at the other, and that would enable me to act 

 very quickly after the first shot. For this I intended to 

 take my time, and to trust to luck and rapid work for the 

 second. And with one cartridge in the rifle, three others 

 on the ground, and two more between the fingers of my 

 right hand, the old single-shot could be depended upon 

 for both. 



When all these things were arranged to my liking 

 I waited for a side shot at the large bear. I did not have 

 long to wait, and I never looked through sights more care- 

 fully than when drawing that bead. There were only about 

 two square inches of bear visible when I pulled the trigger, 

 but they were the exact square inches that I wanted, and 

 once the shot was delivered I wasted no time in finding 

 out the result but turned to the other bear. He acted ex- 

 actly as I had expected. He turned side on to me in order 

 to see what bedlam had broken loose. I caught him 

 squarely in the shoulder, and he wilted in his tracks as the 

 other had done. Not a yard did either of them move after 

 being shot. 



I now got up to examine my prizes when I heard a 

 clawing and rolling of gravel in the next ravine. Glanc- 

 ing about to see what caused this racket I faced, to my in- 

 tense surprise, a mother bear and two half-grown cubs, 

 their retreat to the canon having been cut off, making for 



