HUNTING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 



tracks of these two bears, a male and a female, and finally 

 approached to within one hundred and twenty-five yards of 

 both grizzlies, which were playing in the snow on an exposed 

 ridge. My friend promptly fired at the male, which was the 

 larger of the two bears, causing it to topple over backward 

 and roll down the slope until it lodged against a log. Then he 

 fired at the female, which, mortally wounded and continually 

 whirling around, rolled down on top of its mate. At this the 

 first bear jumped to its feet, and galloped down the steep moun- 

 tain-side in spite of several rapidly fired shots. The hunters 

 followed its tracks in the snow for some distance, but it did not 

 seem to be weakening in its stride, nor could they find a drop 

 of blood. 



The next day a drizzling rain and a thick fog enveloping the 

 whole country forced us to undergo a period of inactivity. We 

 were so much in need of meat that I was obliged to shoot some 

 grouse with the rifle, which is bad policy in a country inhabited 

 by such shy game as grizzly. I found out afterward that up 

 to this time my friends had been unable to shoot any meat, and 

 that the six men had been obliged to sit down to a stew com- 

 posed of several wild ducks and grouse, a red squirrel, and a 

 fish. The large blue grouse, western ruffed-grouse, and Frank- 

 lin's grouse were found in the timbered, and the white-tailed 

 ptarmigan in the open, portions of this countr>\ All these 

 birds made a pleasant change from a diet of venison or bacon. 



That night the stars shone brightly, and we were treated to 

 a wonderful display of the northern lights. The next morning 

 we finished a hasty breakfast by starlight, climbed over frost- 

 covered logs for half a mile, forced our way through the buck- 

 brush for another quarter of a mile, and before sunrise reached 

 a spot in the caiion where we could look over miles of berry 

 bushes by the aid of the field-glasses. Perched on the end of 

 a huge upturned log which projected above the surrounding 

 brush, we carefully searched the country with the glasses for 



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