HUNTING THE GRISLY. 103 



while others first threaten and bully, and even 

 when charging stop to growl, shake the head, 

 and bite at a bush or knock holes in the 

 ground with their fore-paws. Again, some of 

 them charge home with a ferocious resolution 

 which their extreme tenacity of life renders 

 especially dangerous ; while others can be 

 turned or driven back even by a shot which is 

 not mortal. They show the same variability 

 in their behavior when wounded. Often a big 

 bear, especially if charging, will receive a bul- 

 let in perfect silence, without flinching or seem- 

 ing to pay any heed to it ; while another will 

 cry out and tumble about, and if charging, 

 even though it may not abandon the attack, 

 will pause for a moment to whine or bite at 

 the wound. 



Sometimes a single bite causes death. One 

 of the most successful bear hunters I ever 

 knew, an old fellow whose real name I never 

 heard as he was always called Old Ike, was 

 killed in this way in the spring or early sum- 

 mer of 1886 on one of the head-waters of the 

 Salmon. He was a very good shot, had killed 

 nearly a hundred bears with the rifle, and, al- 

 though often charged, had never met with any 

 accident, so that he had grown somewhat care- 

 less. On the day in question he had met a 

 couple of mining prospectors and was travelling 

 with them, when a grisly crossed his path. The 

 old hunter immediately ran after it, rapidly gain- 

 ing, as the bear did not hurry when it saw itself 

 pursued, but slouched slowly forwards, occas- 

 ionally turning its head to grin and growl. 



