io6 BIG GAME SHOOTING IN ALASKA chap. 



Our pace could not have been great through swamps, 

 streams, and scrub willows, but it seemed to me like record- 

 breaking ; and soon we had the satisfaction of seeing the 

 bear gradually slacken his pace, then stop and look round. 

 By that we knew that we had got a point on the right side of 

 the wind, but we had to strive hard to keep it, as he was 

 soon off again though not moving so fast as before. The 

 bear was much hampered by low and thick alders, and 

 numerous deep gullies running down the mountain slopes. 

 In the distance lay the neck which we strove to reach, 

 and here the valley along which we ran ended abruptly in a 

 cup-shaped basin. At this spot there was a narrow open 

 clearing across which it appeared that the bear must travel if 

 his object was, as we surmised, to reach the top of the hills. 

 Putting on a final spurt, I dashed up to within 20 yards 

 of the high alders on the edge of this clearing, and threw 

 myself panting on the grass in the open. Nicolai, who was 

 hopelessly done up, arrived a few seconds afterwards and 

 followed my example. We had beaten the bear by about 

 200 yards, and could hear him coming crashing through the 

 bushes towards us. Very soon I saw the high alder-tops 

 moving, about 40 yards from where we sat, and we knew 

 then that the bear was coming straight towards us. When 

 about 10 yards from the edge of the clearing, he stopped and 

 remained perfectly motionless, evidently listening and trying 

 to wind us. He was perfectly invisible in the dense brush, 

 and this was the critical moment, since, if he turned round and 

 retraced his steps, we could not possibly see him or get a 

 chance of a shot. For fully two or three minutes we re- 

 mained sitting perfectly still, scarcely daring to breath, and 

 then we saw a huge head slowly emerge into the open. 

 Taking a couple of paces forward, until he stood at a spot 



