138 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



been killed since they needed both its coat and its fat and flesh 

 to help tide them over the winter. In this entreaty Amik 

 did not join — perhaps because he was too civilized. After the 

 meal, the skull was hung upon a branch of a pine that stood 

 near the lodges. It reminded me that once I had seen at an 

 old camping place eleven bear skulls upon a single branch; 

 but the sight of bear skulls upon trees is not uncommon when 

 one is travelhng through the Strong Woods Country. 



That night, when I was sitting beside Oo-koo-hoo, we began 

 talking about bear hunting and he said: "My son, some day 

 you, too, may want to become a great bear-hunter, and when 

 you do go out to hunt alone, don't do as I do, but do as I say, 

 for I am growing old and am sometimes careless about the way 

 I approach game." Puffing away at his pipe, he presently 

 continued: "In trailing bear, the hunter's method of approach, 

 of course, depends entirely upon the information he has gained 

 from the tracks he has discovered. If the hunter sees the 

 bear without being seen, he will approach to within about 

 twenty paces or even ten of the brute before he fires; being, 

 however, always careful to keep some object between him and 

 his quarry. And when he does fire, he should not wait to see 

 the effect, but should immediately run aside for a distance of 

 fifteen or twenty paces, as the first thing a bear does when it 

 is shot is to bite the wound on account of the pain, next it tries 

 to discover who hit it, and remembering from which direction 

 the sound came, it looks up, and seeing the smoke, rushes for 

 it. Then the hunter has his opportunity, for on seeing the 

 beast pass broadside, he fires, and thus stands a good chance of 

 hitting a vital spot. 



"At a critical moment a good hunter's movements are not 

 only swift but always premeditated. Nor does he ever treat 

 a bear with contempt : from first to last, he is always on guard. 

 He never takes a chance. Even if the bear drops when the 

 hunter fires, he will immediately re-load and advance very 



