BEAE SHOOTING IN CALIPOENIA. 65 



the dog witli my handkerdiief to a tree ; and lucky it was 

 I did so. I tlien poured a half thimbleful of fine diamond- 

 grain powder into the barrels of my Pritchett^ and four 

 drachms of HalFs coarse-grained strongest rifle powder 

 on top^ rammed down a couple of my sewed-up bullets, 

 put on two central-fire Bley caps — and felt considerably 

 more at ease. I walked quietly up to the spot where the 

 steer had been killed the day before, and to my surprise 

 the carcass had disappeared. Everything was as still as 

 death. What the deuce had become of it ? Could I 

 have mistaken the angle ? Well, anyhow, I could cross 

 over and try the other corner. 



Instead of going round by the trees, as I should have 

 done, I crossed over the open clearing. I had got to 

 within twenty-five yards of the opposite corner — leaving 

 about a hundred yards of the open behind me — when I 

 heard a sound, something between a groan and a growl. 

 I turned towards it, and within thirty yards on my right 

 was a huge bear, alternately fumbling with the car- 

 cass of the steer and staring at me ! To say I " was 

 dumb with astonishment '^ is to say simply nothing. I 

 was perfectly petrified. I did not " raise my rifie slowly, 

 take a steady aim between his two eyes, and fire, rolling 

 him over, sir, dead as a mackerel ; '^ but I wanted to go 

 right down into my boots, and did go down behind a 

 piece of scrub furze, which seemed, I know, uncommonly 

 small. I was so taken aback at thus, as it were, meeting 

 death face to face in a duel, away from everybody, that 

 I could not keep my eyes oS" the bear. He didn^t seem 

 to care much whether I was there or not ; he would play 

 with the carcass one minute — he had evidently pretty 

 well gorged on the previous day — and then look in my 

 direction and growl. If I attempted to retreat, the 



