Hunting in the Selkirks. 139 



scene, the dead bear lying in the shade of the giant hem- 

 locks, while the fantastic-looking savage danced round 

 him with shrill whoops, and the tall frontiersman looked 

 quietly on. 



Our prize was a large black bear, with two curious 

 brown streaks down his back, one on each side the spine. 

 We skinned him and camped by the carcass, as it was 

 growing late. To take the chill off the evening air we 

 built a huge fire, the logs roaring and crackling. To one 

 side of it we made our beds of balsam and hemlock 

 boughs ; we did not build a brush lean-to, because the 

 night seemed likely to be clear. Then we supped on 

 sugarless tea, frying-pan bread, and quantities of bear 

 meat, fried or roasted and how very good it tasted only 

 those know who have gone through much hardship and 

 some little hunger, and have worked violently for several 

 days without flesh food. After eating our fill we stretched 

 ourselves around the fire ; the leaping sheets of flame lit 

 the tree-trunks round about, causing them to start out 

 against the cavernous blackness beyond, and reddened 

 the interlacing branches that formed a canopy overhead. 

 The Indian sat on his haunches, gazing steadily and 

 silently into the pile of blazing logs, while the white 

 hunter and I talked together. 



The morning after killing Bruin, we again took up 

 our march, heading up stream, that we might go to its 

 sources amidst the mountains, where the snow fields fed 

 its springs. It was two full days' journey thither, but we 

 took much longer to make it, as we kept halting to hunt 

 the adjoining mountains. On such occasions Ammal was 



