EXPEDITION UP THE GANDER RIVER 91 



ot the waterfall below, or the "clinking" of white-winged 

 crossbills passing overhead. 



I looked dreamily through the smoke of my pipe away 

 up stream. All of a sudden some big animal burst from 

 the timber about 500 yards up stream on the north bank. 

 It turned sideways, and I saw that it was a large black bear. 

 With that long, swinging stride so characteristic of the 

 genus, she, for I am sure the beast was a female that had 

 brought forth cubs this summer, advanced rapidly down the 

 river, here about 100 yards broad. The head was held very 

 low, and the legs struck me as being longer and more 

 spindly in proportion to the body than those of other bears 

 I have seen. Every now and then she raised her head, 

 examining the character of the bushes, and once stopped 

 and went up to a small tree, which I afterwards found to 

 be a wild cherry, and clawed down a sprig or two which 

 she munched as she continued the journey down stream. 



All this time the bear was rapidly advancing nearer to 

 me, and I had already chosen the best spot on the other 

 side of the river where I should fire at her. I had a perfect 

 position, my back comfortably tucked in the cranny of a ledge 

 of rock and both legs firmly planted against the asperities 

 of a slate slab. The distance would be just about 100 yards 

 when she came opposite to me, and I was beginning to feel 

 that there would be a certainty of an easy shot. But " the 

 best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang oft agley." I looked 

 up at the oncoming bear, and, to my intense disappointment, 

 saw her suddenly leave the river shore and plunge into the 

 forest. The bank was steep at this point, and it seemed a 

 most unlikely place for a " lead " to exist ; yet, as I after- 

 wards found, there was one there which had been daily used 

 by bears. 



