CHAPTER II 



HUNTING THE GRIZZLY 



/^ NE early spring, towards the first of 

 ^^ May, a canoe, loaded to within two 

 inches of her gunwale, glided down the smooth 

 reaches of the Columbia River, in the Province 

 of British Columbia. When rapids were en- 

 countered, occasionally the ripples of the cur- 

 rent sought a level by emptying themselves 

 into the body of the boat. The canoe was only 

 sixteen feet long, and at several of the 

 " shoots," its two occupants — the writer and 

 his guide, who served also as cook — were 

 obliged to turn out and portage the heavier 

 part of the freight, which consisted of a toler- 

 ably complete camping and hunting outfit. 



After proceeding for about 20 miles from 

 our embarking point, we pitched camp for the 

 night at the mouth of a tributary of the great 

 river, called Brush River; and along about 



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