HUNTING TRIPS 



forge ahead and could probably have escaped 

 us, but the mother now and then stopped to 

 sit up on her haunches and look round at 

 us, when the cub would run back to her. 

 The upshot was that we got ahead of them, 

 when they turned and went straight up one 

 hill-side as we ran straight down the other 

 behind them. By this time I was pretty 

 nearly done out, for running along the steep 

 ground through the sage-brush was most ex- 

 hausting work ; and Merrifield kept gaining 

 on me and was well in front. Just as he dis- 

 appeared over a bank, almost at the bottom 

 of the valley, I tripped over a bush and fell 

 full-length. When I got up I knew I could 

 never make up the ground I had lost, and 

 besides, could hardly run any longer; Mer- 

 rifield was out of sight below, and the bears 

 were laboring up the steep hill-side directly 

 opposite and about three hundred yards off, 

 so I sat down and began to shoot over Mer- 

 rifield's head, aiming at the big bear. She 

 was going very steadily and in a straight line, 

 and each bullet sent up a puff of dust where 



