A NARROW ESCAPE. 23 



manner that she was resolved to defend her children's 

 retreat, and if necessary sell her life in doing so. 



Poor thing, the odds were all in my favour with 

 that hideous trap fast to her hind leg, cutting and 

 tearing the flesh at every exertion she made ; still 

 her strength and size were such that it behoved me, 

 her assailant, to be careful what I was about, for if a 

 false step or a misfire threw me in her power in her 

 present state of mind, I could scarcely expect to 

 escape without being fearfully mauled. 



Although the bear has not the activity of the 

 larger members of the cat family, still when wounded 

 it is quite as dangerous an antagonist, if ever you get 

 within its reach, its power of destruction being almost 

 beyond belief. 



A whistle brought Prince instantly to my heels, for 

 now the encounter was to be between the principals. 

 I had little fear for the result, for my gun was a good 

 one, and heretofore I had generally held it straight. 

 The distance that severed us could not have been 

 over twenty paces, and as the foe was gradually 

 lessening it, I fired, hoping to strike her in the chest. 

 At the instant I pressed the trigger she must have 

 lowered her head, for the bullet had made a most 

 unsightly wound along the jaw and cheek. But 

 neither pain nor shock to her system operated for a 

 moment in checking her resolve, for with a rush she 

 dashed forward at me. I fired the left barrel into her 

 carcass, the region of the heart being what I aimed 

 at, but the result was not what I anticipated, so with 

 an empty gun in my hands I was compelled to beat 

 a retreat. 



When I think of the matter it seems almost 

 miraculous how I eluded the bear's grip at that 

 moment, I am aware that I raised my gun as a last 

 resource to protect my face. However, lucky for 

 me, it was avoided somehow. To Prince having laid 

 hold of the enemy's flank at the instant of attack, 



