88 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



could not show, he soon disappeared from our sight. We 

 tried to follow, but gave up the attempt in a short time, 

 and walked on leisurely, excusing ourselves for our appar- 

 ent laziness by saying that we would not kill ourselves run- 

 ning after a bear which we might not even see. We could 

 hear the dogs yelping at intervals, first in one direction, 

 then in another, and some distance away; but they sud- 

 denly began to approach us. This put us on our mettle; 

 so we hastened forward, and reached an open piece of 

 woods in a few minutes. As soon as we entered this we 

 saw the dogs nipping at, and yelping around, a large dark 

 object that was alternately charging and wheeling, and at- 

 tempting to retreat. Making a strong spurt, we were soon 

 near the pack, just as four or five Indians appeared from 

 opposite directions. The bear, seeing new foes, broke away, 

 despite the efforts of the noisy curs, and sought refuge high 

 up among the branches of a fir that must have had an alti- 

 tude of two hundred feet. 



A shot or two caused it to lose its hold of the bough on 

 which it was resting and to come tumbling to the ground, 

 amidst a shower of branches, with a shock that killed it in 

 a moment. The dogs became hilarious on seeing the death 

 of the fugitive, and barked and jumped about in a most 

 enthusiastic manner ; but even in death they feared it ; for, 

 after nipping at it, they would jump away growling and 

 grinning, as if they were being pursued. The quarry proved 

 to be a female nearly full grown, and, by making a rough 

 guess, we judged her to weigh over three hundred pounds. 

 We subsequently learned that she was accompanied by two 

 cubs, but that the dogs had treed them, and they had been 

 killed before the mother was. Resuming the march, we 

 were kept busily at work nearly all day, now shooting at a 

 deer, next at a squirrel, a hare, a wild-cat, a wolf, a grouse, 

 or whatever else came in our way, for the forest was well 

 stocked with game. During the course of the afternoon I 

 saw a bear and two cubs, and fired, at one of the latter and 

 hit it in the shoulder; but the mother, instead of showing 

 fight, scampered away at her best pace, and left her young- 



