126 Hunting the Grisly 



a loud, coughing growl and strikes down or 

 seizes the man before the latter can fire off 

 his rifle. More rarely a bear which is both 

 vicious and crafty deliberately permits the 

 hunter to approach fairly near to, or per- 

 haps pass by, its hiding-place, and then 

 suddenly charges him with such rapidity 

 that he has barely time for the most hur- 

 ried 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 

 unfavorable circumstances without accident. 

 If an unwounded bear thinks itself unob- 

 served 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 close- 

 ly it will lie when there is danger. About 

 twelve miles below my ranch there are some 

 large river bottoms and creek bottoms cov- 

 ered with a matted mass of cottonwood, box- 

 alders, bullberry bushes, rosebushes, ash, wild 

 plums, and other bushes. These bottoms have 

 harbored bear 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 



