HUNTING THE BEAR 249 



tainly if another had related it to me, I might have 

 thought it some mistake owing to excitement. 



Twice I have had the good luck to see the action of 

 a bear when it crossed unexpectedly the fresh trail 

 of a man once in Mexico, and again last summer, 

 on the MacMillan River, when a bear crossed Selous's 

 trail. In both cases the bear jumped in great fright 

 and ran at full speed. In this case, when the bear 

 met me, I was approaching the top of the hill by 

 the simplest, in fact the only easy, route, along the 

 edge of the thick spruces. My trail, made earlier in 

 the afternoon, came over the hill from the north side. 

 I found that the bear had ascended from a direction 

 diagonally opposite, and had reached my trail near the 

 top just as I was approaching ; running), it kept its 

 course in the same direction, and took the natural route 

 around the hill, close to the spruces, in order to enter 

 the woods farther on, where they were not so thick, 

 or to make for the mountain. At this exact moment 

 I happened along, but, concealed by the curve of the 

 spruces, and with the wind blowing from the bear to 

 me, it did not suspect my presence until I yelled at 

 the moment of collision. The fact that it did not 

 maul me, and ran so quickly, is positive proof of its 

 having been completely surprised. Still, I do not care 

 to repeat the sensations I experienced at that moment." 



Here is an account of another adventure which 

 Mr. Sheldon had while bear-hunting, which he relates 

 in the same book. "It was a quarter-past eleven 

 when I first saw the bear, and for nearly two hours I 

 waited, watching it from the beach. The old bear 

 kept gradually moving around the slope up toward 

 the basin, feeding all the time. It occurred to me 



