THE BLACK BEAR. 99 



about me; but the moment my hat appeared above the 

 shrubbery two bullets went whizzing past me so close that 

 I fancied I could feel their wind on my face. I dodged 

 back in a second, and yelled out in stentorian tones what 

 in the name of goodness such wise men were firing at. A 

 shout across the stream informed me that I was mistaken 

 for a bear, and, on emerging from my leafy covert, I asked 

 if I looked like a bear. Two hunters laughingly informed 

 me that I did not when they saw the whole of my body, 

 but that my hat looked suspiciously like the head of the 

 animal in the distance. The mistake was a natural one 

 under the circumstances, but it came too near being a fatal 

 one to me to make its repetition pleasant. 



The hunt with the Indians may lead persons to think 

 that an angry bear, even at its worst, is no great foe after 

 all, and this would prove true were one well armed and 

 ready to meet it, but such is not always the case ; hence I 

 would suggest to those in pursuit of the animal to be cau- 

 tious at least, or disaster may follow. It may not be able 

 to do a great deal of harm to a sturdy man, yet I have 

 heard so many well authenticated accounts of the injury it 

 has inflicted on them sometimes, that I believe them en- 

 titled to the fullest credence. As examples, I may quote 

 the following incidents: A miner who worked on the 

 Lumni River had his cabin invaded one evening by a bear, 

 which was evidently attracted there by a deer that hung 

 just inside the door. The man, on seeing the animal walk 

 in so unconcernedly, yelled at it; but, before leaving, it 

 seized a quarter of the deer, and was moving away with it 

 in the most unceremonious manner, when the miner attack- 

 ed it with an axe. The bear turned at once and made a 

 desperate fight for life, using its powerful claws and teeth 

 whenever it could close with the foe. The miner, after 

 being severely bitten two or three times, and having his 

 clothes and flesh torn, got a fair blow with the sharp edge 

 of the axe at its head, and this stunned it. Following up 

 his advantage, he got in three or four more in a few sec- 

 onds, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing it drop dead 



