HUNTING THE GRISLY. 



109 



getting within range. Ordinarily the only ex- 

 citement is in the stalk, the bear doing noth- 

 ing more than keep a keen look-out and mani- 

 fest the utmost anxiety to get away. As is 

 but natural, accidents occasionally occur ; yet 

 they are usually due more to some failure in 

 man or weapon than to the prowess of the 

 bear. A good hunter whom I once knew, at 

 a time when he was living in Butte, received 

 fatal injuries from a bear he attacked in open 

 woodland. The beast charged after the first 

 shot, but slackened its pace on coming almost 

 up to the man. The latter's gun jambed, and 

 as he was endeavoring to work it he kept step- 

 ping slowly back, facing the bear which fol- 

 lowed a few yards distant, snarling and 

 threatening. Unfortunately while thus walk- 

 ing backwards the man struck a dead log and 

 fell over it, whereupon the beast instantly 

 sprang on him and mortally wounded him be- 

 fore help arrived. 



On rare occasions men who are not at the 

 time hunting it fall victims to the grisly. 

 This is usually because they stumble on it un- 

 awares and the animal attacks them more in 

 fear than in anger. One such case, resulting 

 fatally, occurred near my own ranch. The man 

 walked almost over a bear while crossing a 

 little point of brush, in a bend of the river, 

 and was brained with a single blow of the paw. 

 In another instance which came to my knowl- 

 edge the man escaped with a shaking up, and 

 without even a fright. His name was Perkins, 

 and he was out gathering huckleberries in the 



