x THE BEAR 203 



The bears consisted of a mother and two half-grown young ones 

 of the choice variety known as "silver-tipped." He had come across 

 the family by chance while riding through the forest, and having 

 shot the mother through the shoulder, she fell struggling between 

 her cubs ; these pugnacious brutes immediately commenced fighting, 

 and a couple of shots from the rapid breechloading Sharp rifle 

 settled their ill-timed quarrel. 



Bob was the most dexterous skinner I ever saw : he would take 

 off a skin from a deer or bear as naturally as most persons would 

 take off their clothes ; and the fact of a man, unassisted, flaying 

 seven animals, and arranging them neatly upon the Mexican saddle, 

 would have been a tolerable amount of labour without the difficulty 

 of first finding and then successfully shooting them. 



The hide of the largest bear would weigh fully 50 Ibs., those of 

 the smaller 25 Ibs. each = 100 Ibs. The four black-tail deer would 

 weigh fully 50 Ibs. Therefore the mare was carrying 150 Ibs. of 

 hides, in addition to Bob Stewart, who weighed about 9 stone, 

 making a total of about 276 Ibs., irrespective of his rifle and 

 ammunition. 



It was a strange country ; the elevation of our camp was about 

 10,000 feet above the sea-level, although we were in a deep and 

 narrow glen, close to a very small stream of beautifully clear water. 

 Upon either side the valley, the hills rose about 1400 feet; at that 

 season (September) the summits were in some places capped with 

 snow. The sides of the hills, sloping towards the glen, were either 

 covered with forests of spruce firs, or broken into patches of prairie 

 grass and sage bush, the latter about as high as the strongest 

 heather, and equally tough and tiresome. 



The so-called camp was upon an extremely limited scale; a 

 little sleeping tent only 7 feet by 7, and 5 feet 8 inches in the 

 highest portion ; this had no walls, but was simply an incline from 

 the ridge-pole to the ground ; it was a single cloth, without lining 

 of any kind, and bitterly cold at night. This was rough work for 

 a lady, especially as our people had no idea of making things com- 

 fortable, or of volunteering any service. If ordered to come, they 

 came ; to go, they went ; to do this or that, they did it ; but there 

 was no attempt upon their part to do more than was absolutely 

 required of them. Shooting in the Big Horn range is generally 

 conducted upon this uncomfortable plan. It is most difficult to 

 obtain either men or animals ; but, although useless fellows for 

 any assistance in camp, they were excellent for looking after the 

 horses and mules, all of which require strict attention. 



We had only four men, all told my hunter Jem Bourne, the 



