HUNTING THE GRISLY. 85 



half humorous, half devilish. I crept up 

 within forty yards ; but for several minutes 

 he would not keep his head still. Then some- 

 thing attracted his attention in the forest, and 

 he stood motionless looking towards it, broad- 

 side to me, with his fore-paws planted on the 

 carcass. This gave me my chance. I drew 

 a very fine bead between his eye and ear, and 

 pulled trigger. He dropped like a steer when 

 struck with a pole-axe. 



If there is a good hiding-place handy it is 

 better to lie in wait at the carcass. One day 

 on the head-waters of the Madison, I found 

 that a bear was coming to an elk I had shot 

 some days before ; and I at once determined to 

 ambush the beast when he came back that 

 evening. The carcass lay in the middle of a 

 valley a quarter of a mile broad. The bottom 

 of this valley was covered by an open forest 

 of tall pines ; a thick jungle of smaller ever- 

 greens marked where the mountains rose on 

 either hand. There were a number of large 

 rocks scattered here and there, one, of very 

 convenient shape, being only some seventy or 

 eighty yards from the carcass. Up this I 

 clambered. It hid me perfectly, and on its 

 top was a carpet of soft pine needles, on which 

 I could lie at my ease. 



Hour after hour passed by. A little black 

 woodpecker with a yellow crest ran nimbly 

 up and down the tree-trunks for some time 

 and then flitted away with a party of chicka- 

 dees and nut-hatches. Occasionally a Clarke's 

 crow soared about overhead or clung in any 



