WILDERNESS RESERVES 313 



or teased. It is curious to think that the descendants of 

 the great grizzlies which were the dread of the early ex- 

 plorers and hunters should now be semi-domesticated 

 creatures, boldly hanging around crowded hotels for the 

 sake of what they can pick up, and quite harmless so long 

 as any reasonable precaution is exercised. They are 

 much safer, for instance, than any ordinary bull or stall- 

 ion, or even ram, and, in fact, there is no danger from 

 them at all unless they are encouraged to grow too famil- 

 iar or are in some way molested. Of course among the 

 thousands of tourists there is a percentage of fools; and 

 when fools go out in the afternoon to look at the bears 

 feeding they occasionally bring themselves into jeopardy 

 by some senseless act. The black bears and the cubs of 

 the bigger bears can readily be driven up trees, and some 

 of the tourists occasionally do this. Most of the animals 

 never think of resenting it; but now and then one is run 

 across which has its feelings ruffled by the performance. 

 In the summer of 1902 the result proved disastrous to a 

 too inquisitive tourist. He was travelling with his wife, 

 and at one of the hotels they went out toward the garbage 

 pile to see the bears feeding. The only bear in sight was 

 a large she, which, as it turned out, was in a bad temper 

 because another party of tourists a few minutes before 

 had been chasing her cubs up a tree. The man left his 

 wife and walked toward the bear to see how close he 

 could get. When he was some distance off she charged 

 him, whereupon he bolted back toward his wife. The 

 bear overtook him, knocked him down and bit him se- 

 verely. But the man's wife, without hesitation, attacked 



