AFTER BIG-GAME IN WYOMING 199 



tioned, the others towards the west. Every now and 

 then we dismounted and carefully examined the valley 

 below us from the rocky ridge above. About the 

 third time of doing this, as I stood on a slab of rock 

 at the very edge of the cliff, a terrific scuffling took 

 place on the rough hillside below me, and the next 

 moment a three-parts-grown bear sprang on to the 

 ledge not 20 feet from where I stood, and made for 

 the thick timber beside us. I lost no time in breaking 

 his back, as it chanced, with a rifle bullet. He fell, 

 and scrambled towards me, evidently with hostile 

 intent. My second barrel at close quarters laid him 

 dead at our feet, just as Jack shouted, 'Give him 

 another !' I subsequently observed to Jack that the 

 advice was quite unnecessary ; the quarters were 

 closer than I liked. But all ended well for us ; and 

 we subsequently packed a fine silver-tip fur hide 

 behind the cantle of Jack's saddle. 



From that day onwards our saddles and the camp 

 outfit generally reeked of the smell of bear, much to 

 the annoyance and disgust of some of our equine 

 companions. The nervous systems of one or two of 

 our horses were completely upset by this pervading 

 odour of a successful bear-hunting camp. They never 

 got quite reconciled to it, as a scattered pack and 

 occasionally a dismounted rider would every now and 

 then testify. We continued our progress down the 

 valley, thinking that, if we could not find sheep, jump- 

 ing grizzlies from under the cliff was sport enough in 

 itself. Later in the day we were engaged in eating 

 the wild raspberries that grew in profusion along the 

 hillside. I had left Jack and the horses a little way 

 behind, and, rifle in hand, had gradually eaten my 

 way along a ridge of raspberry-bush-covered rock 



