314 AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



the bear with that thoroughly feminine weapon, an um- 

 brella, and frightened her off. The man spent several 

 weeks in the Park hospital before he recovered. Per- 

 haps the following telegram sent by the manager of the 

 Lake Hotel to Major Pitcher illustrates with sufficient 

 clearness the mutual relations of the bears, the tourists, 

 and the guardians of the public weal in the Park. The 

 original was sent me by Major Pitcher. It runs : 



"Lake. 7-27-03. Major Pitcher, Yellowstone: As 

 many as seventeen bears in an evening appear on my 

 garbage dump. To-night eight or ten. Campers and 

 people not of my hotel throw things at them to make them 

 run away. I cannot, unless there personally, control this. 

 Do you think you could detail a trooper to be there 

 every evening from say six o'clock until dark and make 

 people remain behind danger line laid out by Warden 

 Jones? Otherwise I fear some accident. The arrest 

 of one or two of these campers might help. My own 

 guests do pretty well as they are told. James Barton 

 Key. 9 A. M." 



Major Pitcher issued the order as requested. 



At times the bears get so bold that they take to mak- 

 ing inroads on the kitchen. One completely terrorized a 

 Chinese cook. It would drive him off and then feast 

 upon whatever was left behind. When a bear begins to 

 act in this way or to show surliness it is sometimes neces- 

 sary to shoot it. Other bears are tamed until they will 

 feed out of the hand, and will come at once if called. Not 

 only have some of the soldiers and scouts tamed bears in 

 this fashion, but occasionally a chambermaid or waiter 



