OLD EPHRAIM, THE GRISLY BEAR. 79 



ing over a vast tract of country before he will 

 suddenly spy a bear ; or he may see nothing 

 after the most careful search in a given place, 

 and must then go on half a dozen miles to an- 

 other, watching warily as he walks, and con- 

 tinuing this possibly for several days before 

 getting a glimpse of his game. If the bear 

 are digging roots, or otherwise procuring their 

 food on the bare hill sides and table-lands, it is 

 of course comparatively easy to see them ; and 

 it is under such circumstances that this kind 

 of hunting is most successful. Once seen, the 

 actual stalk may take two or three hours, the 

 nature of the ground and the direction of 

 the wind often necessitating a long circuit ; 

 perhaps a gully, a rock, or a fallen log offers 

 a chance for an approach to within two hun- 

 dred yards, and although the hunter will, if 

 possible, get much closer than this, yet even 

 at such a distance a bear is a large enough mark 

 to warrant risking a shot. 



Usually the berry grounds do not offer such 

 favorable opportunities, as they often lie in 

 thick timber, or are covered so densely with 

 bushes as to obstruct the view ; and they are 

 rarely commanded by a favorable spot from 

 which to spy. On the other hand, as already 

 said, bears occasionally forget all their watch- 

 fulness while devouring fruit, and make such 

 a noise rending and tearing the bushes that, if 

 once found, a man can creep upon them un- 

 observed. 



