A CHROMATIC BEAR HUNT 



effective than one which is highly penetrative; 

 but when we suggested adroitly to Joe that he 

 use one of our extra guns instead of this relic, 

 he declined, on the ground that his old gun 

 was easier to carry. 



We splashed through miles of muskeg 

 swamp toward the forest where the big bear 

 had been seen. We sank to our knees at 

 every step; low brush hindered us; in places 

 the surface of the ground quaked like jelly. 

 We were well into the thickets before the dogs 

 gave tongue and were off, with us crashing 

 after them through the brush, lunging through 

 drifts, tripping, falling, sweating. For ten 

 minutes we followed, until a violent din in 

 the jungle ahead advised us that their quarry 

 was at bay. 



Joe took his obstacles in the manner of a 

 stag, finally bursting through the brush ahead 

 of us with his air gun in his hand, only to stop 

 and begin to swear eloquently. 



"What is it?" I yelled, hip deep in a 

 snowdrift. 



"Have you got them pinchers handy?" 

 came his answer. 



For five days we combed those thickets and 

 scoured the mountain sides without a shot, 



49 



