136 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



then dropped to four feet again. Another shot, and 

 another, and the great brown bear tottered and fell 

 over prone, motionless, on to his side. That was 

 undoubtedly the moment when we should have 

 remembered that discretion is the better part of 

 valour, and called to mind the useful little axiom, 

 slightly paraphrased, " He who shoots and runs 

 away, lives to shoot another day." For we were now 

 exceedingly close to the alder patch, and fairly in 

 the way of the oncoming she-bear. With a sort 

 of beautiful and refreshing trust in Providence, we 

 both imagined that her ursine highness would turn 

 aside and avoid us. A she-bear with a cub to pro- 

 tect is a big thing to tackle in any country, in Alaska 

 she is a fiend let loose. 



With a short sharp yell of rage, voicing the fury 

 of her rage and offended majesty, she came straight 

 for us. How she travelled ! And the very small 

 cub ambled behind as though nothing untoward was 

 afoot. The front claws of the bear appeared to take 

 a real grip of the ground as she propelled herself 

 in great gallops over the coarse, knotted grass, 

 through the maze of blazing buttercups. 



" I leave it to you," I said, hardly knowing the 

 tone of my own voice, it was so huskily excited. 



The Leader threw up his rifle, fired, and for a 

 moment the oncoming bear certainly checked her 

 speed. I saw, in a kind of dazed wonder, my com- 

 panion wrestling with his rifle, hurriedly, anxiously, 

 feverishly something was wrong the cartridge 

 would not rise into the magazine. 



