A HUNTER'S CAMP-FIRES 



spruces to another toward the animal. It thus happened that 

 when the grizzly started to run I was within one hundred and 

 twenty-five yards, lying flat in the wet grass in order to make a 

 careful shot. The bear had not made twenty strides until it 

 stopped broadside for a moment to thoroughly satisfy its fears, 

 and instantly received a soft-nosed bullet through the thick 

 of the neck. At this it did not move, but stood in the same 

 spot, swaying unsteadily from side to side, and receiving, a few 

 seconds later, another bullet in the region of the shoulders. 

 Then it gave forth a succession of roars which Dell could 

 plainly hear from camp, plunged forward, turned a complete 

 somersault, and rolled over and over in the barren, with mud 

 and moss flying in show^ers from the blows of its mighty paws. 



By the time it had recovered its footing I had approached 

 within twenty feet and fired at its head, the bullet travelling 

 diagonally through its mouth and removing most of its teeth. 

 At this the bear reared straight up in tne air to what seemed an 

 enormous height, its- ears laid flat and its eyes twinkling vicious- 

 ly. I fired again at the head and missed it, but tore a hole 

 through the palm of one fore-paw, which was raised to the level 

 of its face at the time ; this once more brought the grizzly to the 

 ground with a roar of pain. As it dragged itself to its feet again 

 I fired at its shoulders, causing it to collapse, but not to cease 

 struggling and moaning in the grass. Realizing that I had 

 used up the five cartridges held by the magazine of my rifle, 

 I retreated to a respectful distance in order to reload, only to 

 find the badly crippled animal on its feet again, painfully drag- 

 ging itself toward the shelter of the timber. 



This time I ran up alongside the grizzly, and fired again 

 through its shoulders. It went down in a heap, but died gamely, 

 its last breath a snarl. It was a very old male, whose claws had 

 grown to an enormous length, and whose teeth were reduced 

 to small yellow stubs. The unstretched skin measured nine feet 

 in length, and the hide, including the unskinned head — when 



284 



