206 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



on short notice. In the spring of 1904 when three mem- 

 bers of our party, Mr. Phillips, Charlie Smith and Mack 

 Norboe, were bear-hunting in the Bull River country, 

 they ran out of meat, and became so hungry for that very 

 necessary item they flung appearances to the winds, and 

 sent Charlie Smith on snow-shoes over two ranges of 

 mountains, thirty miles in and thirty miles back, for a 

 ham! That was sufficiently absurd, but the sequel was 

 even more so. In order to travel rapidly, and be bur- 

 dened with nothing save the ham and his revolver, 

 Charlie left his rifle behind. On the return journey he 

 was followed up by a grizzly bear which also needed a 

 sugar-cured ham! But Charlie was "dead game" and 

 even when face to face with the grizzly and with no 

 rifle, he refused to jettison his cargo. He finally bluffed 

 and eluded the bear, and steered his precious freight 

 safely into port, having made that severe round trip in 

 two days. 



Mack Norboe has had hundreds of interesting ad- 

 ventures, but it is difficult to induce him to tell of one. 

 There are men who talk more of their one bear than 

 Mack does of his hundred. Only the most skilful stalk- 

 ing at the camp-fire ever rounds up an extended narrative 

 by him. 



But every man makes exceptions. When the talk 

 turned on the charging habits of grizzlies, a goodly 

 amount of silent treatment, backed up by a few well- 

 aimed questions, finally brought forth this incident: 



