PERILS THAT MUST BE ENDURED 305 



as a thousand to one that I would have to return home 

 without a grizzly. We discussed ways and means for 

 some few minutes, and then it was decided to build 

 a structure out of saplings and logs, and in its furthest 

 part to place the now loud-smelling bear meat. Then 

 to strap a rifle to two cross-bars so firmly fixed that 

 if the trigger was touched the rifle would be fired 

 and there would be no recoil. If the bear should re- 

 turn and enter the improvised bear den there might be 

 one chance in fifty that he would get shot before he 

 would be able to retreat. 



Therefore, the first thing to be done was to drag 

 the carcass over to the butt end of a blown down tree, 

 then saplings and logs were placed around it in an A 

 shape, with guiding pieces of brush or saplings to con- 

 tinually narrow the space as the bear crawled in. 



Guides were fixed overhead to compel the bear to 

 get down on all fours and then on his belly, in order 

 to reach the meat with his front paws. Eight in front 

 of the meat, and fixed perpendicularly, was the rifle, 

 with the muzzle left just high enough to clear the 

 animal in its struggle to reach the carcass. One end 

 of a cord was attached to the carcass while the other 

 end was fastened to the trigger of the rifle, and the 

 trigger was set. 



When all this was done, and the ground cleared of 

 bits of chopped sticks, etc., everything was in readi- 

 ness for a possible visit from the bear that had that 



