Ii6 HUNTING THE GRISLY. 



lake, and his comrades were off fishing in a 

 dugout or pirogue. He himself was sitting 

 near the shore, by a little lean-to, watching some 

 beaver meat which was sizzling over the dying 

 embers. Suddenly, and without warning, a 

 great bear, which had crept silently up beneath 

 the shadows of the tall evergreens, rushed at 

 him, with a guttural roar, and seized him be- 

 fore he could rise to his feet. It grasped him 

 with its jaws at the junction of the neck and 

 shoulder, making the teeth meet through bone, 

 sinew, and muscle ; and turning, tracked off 

 towards the forest, dragging with it the helpless 

 and paralyzed victim. Luckily the two men in 

 the canoe had just paddled round the point, in 

 sight of, and close to, camp. The man in the 

 bow, seeing the plight of their comrade, seized 

 his rifle and fired at trie bear. The bullet 

 went through the beast's lungs, and it forth- 

 with dropped its prey, and running off some two 

 hundred yards, lay down on its side and died. 

 The rescued man recovered full health and 

 strength, but never again carried his head 

 straight. 



Old hunters and mountain-men tell many 

 stories, not only of malicious grislies thus at- 

 tacking men in camp, but also of their even 

 dogging the footsteps of some solitary hunter 

 and killing him when the favorable opportun- 

 ity occurs. Most of these tales are mere 

 fables ; but it is possible that in altogether ex- 

 ceptional instances they rest on a foundation 

 of fact. One old hunter whom I knew told me 

 such a story. He was a truthful old fellow, 



