BEAR-HUNTING 



open. This was the one I wanted, so I kept a hand 

 on Kuroki until this last fellow emerged and also 

 sat up to see what we were. 



Ah, let the anaemic frame rules for themselves! 

 They shall not for me, nor for any who have felt the 

 still, steady, fierce comfort of some moment just 

 such as this. Carefully and steadily I fired, and 

 after that the action became general. 



Instinct tells a trained rifleman whether or not 

 his shot will serve. I knew I would strike the big 

 bear, and at the crack of the rifle was not surprised 

 to see it drop back, apparently done for. I was 

 surprised, however, at the tremendous roar, growl, 

 or howl that it uttered the loudest I ever heard a 

 bear give; a hoarse, croaking note, with something 

 like the sound of feeding circus animals in it. But 

 it straightened, floundered, roared as I struck it 

 three times more, rapidly. I heard Kuroki hammer- 

 ing away also, but did not know what he was doing. 

 My bear fell in the brush, apparently dead; and I 

 swung the rifle across to where I saw the second 

 bear still sitting and staring stupidly straight at us. 

 There was something uncanny about this, and I 

 do not pretend to explain it. There is always some- 

 thing hard to explain about every such episode 

 where all happens in a flash or so. But certainly I 

 saw Kuroki fire directly at this bear and not kill it ; 



225 



