i 7 2 A BLACK BEAR HUNT 



Sometimes, however, they conceal themselves in the watercourses 

 which descend from the forest into the open, forming with their 

 steeply wooded sides a sort of covered way. A peculiarly soft 

 subdued light pervades these coverts, which are usually composed 

 of dense copses of black spruce mingled with cedar and hemlock. 

 Where the deep cool verdure of the sponge-like sphagnum bathes 

 the tree roots with its chilling moisture the bear loves to make 

 his lair. Here, fringed with luxuriant masses of cinnamon and 

 royal ferns, he sleeps throughout the heated hours of the day. 

 The sportsman does not often see him, it is true, in such a lurking- 

 place, though he often puts him out, leaving behind him a rank 

 and strongly offensive smell. It is truly astonishing when disturbed 

 with what silence and celerity he manages his retreat, seldom 

 allowing of a chance to cover him even with the rifle held at the 

 ready. 



Wherever forest fires have recently spread and it must be 

 said that they keep recurring with astonishing and regrettable 

 frequency a plentiful berry growth, irresistible to bruin, soon 

 follows. Hence hunters often set fire to the bush, while lightning 

 in seasons of special drought effects the same end by an operation 

 of nature. 



It was the last day of August when we pitched our first camp at 

 Devil's Elbow. On the previous day a sharp thunderstorm had 

 cleared a sultry atmosphere, and now a chill nor'-wester came 

 sweeping down the river, while heavy driving clouds occasionally 

 threw dark shadows on the river of the hue of steel. But yesterday 

 summer was supreme ; to-day saw autumn's reign established a 

 revolution in a single night. 



We were very luckily the first hunting-party ' up river ', so that 

 as yet none of the haunts of the big game had been disturbed. 



On either bank of the pool ran a well-defined ' animal path ', 

 while many freshly torn limbs of the choke-cherry tree, cranberry, 

 and ' Kinni-kinich,' or wild willow, betrayed the recent presence 

 of feeding bears. The latter tree yields a white acrid fruit very 

 much esteemed by bruin. The heavy animal well knows that the 

 slender limbs of these fruit trees will not support his weight, so 

 he climbs the trunk and tears down the small fruit-bearing limbs 

 within reach by means of his great curved claws. 



It was immediately decided to leave the heavy camp equip- 

 ment and take the lightened birch-bark canoe up to the three 

 magnificent Nepisiquit lakes which feed the river at its source, 

 then drop silently down stream on some quiet evening after the 

 wind had died away, in order to surprise unwary bears during 

 their usual feeding hours. 



