io8 HUNTING THE GRISLY. 



pass by, its hiding-place, and then suddenly 

 charges him with such rapidity that he has 

 barely time for the most hurried shot. The 

 danger in such a case is of course great. 



Ordinarily, however, even in the brush, the 

 bear's object is to slink away, not to fight, and 

 very many are killed even under the most unfav- 

 orable circumstances without accident. If an 

 unwounded bear thinks itselt unobserved it is 

 not apt to attack ; and in thick cover it is 

 really astonishing to see how one of these 

 large animals can hide, and how closely it will 

 lie when there is danger. About twelve miles 

 below my ranch there are some large river 

 bottoms and creek bottoms covered with a 

 matted mass of cottonwood, box-alders, bull- 

 berry bushes, rosebushes, ash, wild plums, and 

 other bushes. These bottoms have harbored 

 bears ever since I first saw them ; but, though 

 often in company with a large party, I have 

 repeatedly beaten through them, and though 

 we must at times have been very near indeed 

 to the game, we never so much as heard it 

 run. 



When bears are shot, as they usually must 

 be, in open timber or on the bare mountain, 

 the risk is very much less. Hundreds may 

 thus be killed with comparatively little danger ; 

 yet even under these circumstances they will 

 often charge, and sometimes make their charge 

 good. The spice of danger, especially to a 

 man armed with a good repeating rifle, is only 

 enough to add zest to the chase, and the chief 

 triumph is in outwitting the wary quarry and 



