vii A MOVE TO THE WEST AND BERING SEA 137 



The best times for seeing bears fishing are dayHght and 

 dusk, and if I had to select one time, I should choose the 

 latter from personal experience, as, although we were up at 

 daylight about 4 o'clock every morning, I never saw a single 

 bear then, despite the declaration of the natives that the 

 morning is better than the evening. On the other hand, we 

 never failed to see one or more bears any evening between 

 5.30 and 7.30, so long as we remained there. 



The following evening I walked some two miles up the 

 river, and waited with Nicolai and the local native (whose 

 name I never learnt) near a good shallow place in the river 

 where tracks were fresh and numerous on the bank. We had 

 not long to wait, for soon I saw, about a mile off and coming 

 leisurely across the open, a very large dark-coloured bear. 

 We were seated on a small knoll, and about 50 yards from 

 the foot of it ran a well-worn bear-trail along which it was 

 perfectly obvious the bear was coming. There was a rise in 

 the ground some 80 yards away which hid part of the trail 

 from view, and directly the bear got out of sight behind this 

 hill, both Nicolai and the other native rushed down the little 

 hill on which we sat, saying to me, " Hurry up, run quick." 

 They were so sharp in starting that I could not stop them, 

 but I was furious with them for leaving a good position 

 whence a fine shot was certain, and rushing down to get 

 nearer the trail. The wind was perfect on top of the brow, 

 but I had already learnt to distrust it in any hollows or 

 valleys in Alaska. As the men were now between me and 

 the bear, there was nothing to do but follow them. My 

 worst fears were realised, for on descending the brow, the 

 wind was undoubtedly blowing straight from us towards the 

 bear, and we were in a hollow of the ground, unable to see 

 20 yards right or left. It was only 50 yards to the brow on 



