A DISAPPOINTMENT. 319 



particularly if victorious, exhibited more satisfaction 

 than I believe it would have done if he had made 

 thousands of dollars. Fishing legitimate fishing with 

 rod and fly requires but to be known and practised 

 to have more votaries than any other sport extant. 



The next afternoon I killed four more fish, all worthy 

 of a place in the memory of the most successful angler, 

 all deserving of notice for their plucky efforts to avoid 

 their doom. 



Just as I was thinking of closing up for the night, my 

 companion shouted to me that there was a bear in the 

 water. On looking up stream, sure enough bruin was 

 in sight, stemming the current and boldly pushing for 

 this side. With hasty impulse I laid my rod down to 

 grasp my rifle, but, alas ! my attendant, fatigued with 

 carrying it, and seeing small prospect of its being 

 required, had left it leaning against a rock some dis- 

 tance off. You may well imagine my disappointment, 

 for when the bear left the water he was not over twenty- 

 five yards above my position. This animal, judging 

 from his size, must have been quite four hundred 

 pounds a size much greater than it generally attains 

 in the north-west. Until he had firmly gained his 

 footing he had not observed us, and the ludicrousness 

 of his alarm and astonishment when he became aware 

 of our vicinity was laughable in the extreme. Off he 

 went with a rush into the brush, making dry and 

 withered limbs crash before him. 



As the constant and severe attention of the flies put 

 fishing out of the question, and I had become surfeited 

 with tobacco from the number of cigars I had con- 

 sumed, under the fallacy that the smoke would de- 

 prive me of their company, I was compelled, as a last 



