226 WITH GUN AND GUIDE 



conclusions were that there could be no other cause 

 than the silent coming of a bear. Therefore we 

 listened more intently than ever before in our " most 

 eventful history," because, if it were an " ursus 

 horribilus" on one side, here was the swift-running 

 river on the other, and what might not happen if his 

 " horribleness " only gently pushed us over the bank 

 into the cauldron of fighting salmon below ? 



The minutes sped on and nothing happened until, 

 say, eleven o'clock had arrived, and then came five 

 ponderous blows on the ground, struck by some 

 animal of enormous strength, apparently directly in 

 the spot where the branches had been broken a half 

 hour before. Now if ever a rifle was grasped quickly 

 and a piece of sail-cloth thrown off rudely, both of 

 these feats were performed by us in a jiffy. 



With hammer pulled back ready for business, and 

 with bated breath, we waited for a solution of the 

 mysterious knocks. However, the waiting was in 

 vain, for none came. 



In the following long hours before daylight, we had 

 ample time to ponder over them, and we, of course, 

 imagined many " vain things " ; among others was 

 this : If his majesty because none other than he could 

 have given such an exhibition of power and strength- 

 had forgotten his usual caution and had made an attack 

 from the rear, how could the rifle have been aimed 

 with any certainty in the dim and fitful light of the 



