174 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



grizzlies into thick cover, or coming on them suddenly 

 in thick cover at close quarters. The best sport I 

 ever had with bear was in a hunting expedition in 

 1878 to the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, described 

 in a subsequent chapter. That country had then not 

 been previously hunted, except by Indians and stray 

 trappers and prospectors, and we there constantly 

 found the bears in the open. I was fortunate enough 

 on that trip to kill thirteen range grizzlies, old and 

 young, by fair stalking, to my own rifle. 



In the rough, thickly-wooded district of the Main 

 Divide, in which we now found ourselves, bears were 

 fairly plentiful, but difficult to come across, though 

 we constantly found their tracks. 



To return, then, to our first grizzly. We had killed 

 a bull elk the first day we got into camp on Jack 

 Creek, and proceeded promptly to set our bear-trap 

 by the carcass. The bear-trap, by-the-by, was no 

 trifle. It weighed close on 40 pounds, and took two 

 men and a long lever usually a young fir-tree, cut 

 down for the purpose to set. It was attached to a 

 stout log by means of a short chain and ring, and 

 then carefully concealed with earth and leaves close 

 by the carcass or bait. I make no apologies for the 

 use of a bear-trap, and my only regret is that I have 

 never been present to watch a large grizzly five minutes 

 after he had put his foot in the trap. It was, perhaps, 

 rough on the grizzly. But man is a hunting, predatory 

 animal at times, and, as Frank and Jack had already 

 pointed out, one bear at least was absolutely required 

 to round off our bag. 



For two mornings running after the trap had been 

 set we rode in procession from camp through the 

 green forest to visit it. On the first occasion we 



