WATCHING FOR BRUIN 221 



covered with salmon heads, fins and tails, where the 

 big eater had sat down to devour his catch. The 

 stench from these decaying portions of the fated 

 salmon was very bad ; and the myriads of bluebottle 

 flies, mosquitoes, black flies, midgets and bulldog flies 

 drawn to the locality by this salmon feast were some- 

 thing truly appalling. 



The guide said the bear signs were good, and his 

 plan of attack upon the wary beast was to post a man 

 at each end of the crescent, which is here made by the 

 river ; the third man was to take his position in the 

 centre. 



The half circle thus covered with three rifles would 

 be in length perhaps five hundred yards, and no one of 

 the party would be in danger of the bullets from either 

 of his fellows by reason of the conformation of the 

 ground. We did not make a fire by which to prepare 

 supper, as the smoke would be scented far and near by 

 our expected and much-hoped-for prey. 



A cold lunch was hastily eaten, and eacfr man went 

 to his appointed post. W. E., on account of his cold, 

 was stationed near the cabin at the head of the cres- 

 cent. Kibbee selected a stump in the middle of the 

 river at the foot of the crescent, and the writer was 

 posted in the middle of the half circle, where he could 

 " catch them coming or going." To do this he should 

 have been equipped, like Janus, with an eye in the 

 back of his head as well as one in front. 



