376 CHASE OF ANOTHER BEAR. 



Hitherto the snow had not fastened to our Skidor ; but 

 now that the day wore on, and the temperature became much 

 milder, it began to adhere to these implements. It there- 

 fore became a question if we should not leave the other bear 

 undisturbed until a more fitting occasion. Under the cir- 

 cumstances, it would perhaps have been the wiser plan ; but 

 as success had hitherto crowned our efforts, and the dogs 

 were in good heart, we determined, at all hazards, to give 

 him a gallop. 



After unavailingly waiting an hour or so for our atten- 

 dant, of whom, unfortunately, we saw no more that day 

 in which while the bear was covered over with Gran-ris as 

 protection from vermin and falling weather we started off for 

 the Ring, which was at a distance of six to seven miles. But 

 owing to the heavy state of the snow, and the broken nature 

 of the country, it was long past noon before we reached it. 



The dogs were now slipped, and, as on the previous 

 occasion, only a very short time elapsed before the bear was 

 on foot, and they in full pursuit. Soon after leaving his bed 

 I saw the beast in the distance, but the view being transitory, 

 and the gun in its case, I was unable to fire. 



From its lesser size, this beast did not sink nearly so deep 

 in the snow as the old one, and he had in consequence 

 greatly the advantage over Elg and myself, who had literally 

 to plough our way through the snow. As a set-off, how- 

 ever, the dogs enabled us to make many a short cut, so that 

 for a time we kept a tolerably good place ; but at length, and 

 probably as well from exhaustion, as that we gave them no 

 aid, the dogs fell back to us, and thenceforward rendered us 

 but little assistance. 



As our hopes of fairly running down the beast were now 



