Bear Traits 



and finally, when his bear is the grizzly, there 

 is the ever thrilling, if remote, chance of a 

 charge. That chance seems far less remote 

 when you are creeping down into some tangled 

 ravine to meet your antagonist ravening at his 

 food in the deepening twilight, than it would 

 if you could stalk him in the open at midday 

 and between meals. 



I have never been actually charged by a 

 bear. Twice my companion has thought he 

 saw one feint or bluster at us. But on each 

 occasion I was either busy with my rifle or 

 attributed the motion to other causes. So I 

 cannot speak from experience of the bear 

 hunter's grand sensation that of withstand- 

 ing an assault. 



On the other hand, I have had several rather 

 unusual chances of watching a bear approach 

 his bait. And I have also committed about 

 every error of omission and commission by 

 which the poor finite human being can betray 

 his plans and purposes to the almost infinite 

 sagacity of the creature he flatters himself he 

 is going to outwit. Out of those countless 

 blunders, theories of action have of necessity 

 been hammered into me, some of which may 

 possibly be useful to others. But to avoid 



239 



