SPOET IN THE COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS. 265 



down; I tliouglit I saw something move in tlie busli, 

 and as tlie dog still had his tail stiff out I let drive 

 one barrel. There was no mistake, there ivas something, 

 as after a tremendous clatter, an immense bear went 

 away down the side of the hill youghing like a demon. 

 Gracious ! how still I did keep, with only a charge of 

 No. 6 in my remaining barrel ! '' Old Ephraim '' how- 

 ever, seemed glad to get out of the situation, though the 

 shot could hardly have tickled his side. My friend 

 stared when I told him, and said he didn't want anything 

 to do with the job; in fact, he'd sell out his interest 

 in that claim cheap. Next evening the carcase was gone 

 entirely, so I knew I should get him as safe as possible 

 if I could manage to get the chances about ninety to one 

 in my favour. Bears are suspicious brutes, and they are 

 uncommonly shy of baits, so I purposely potted a deer 

 through the stomach and let her run; the dog found 

 her in a sort of valley or watercourse with plenty of 

 trees about, up one of which I took the precaution to 

 climb about fifty yards off the deer. A much smaller 

 bear made his appearance, and at seventy-five yards 

 got a hardened bullet driven by four drachms of rifle 

 powder through his left shoulder; he went down in- 

 stanter, but got up again and sat for a moment on 

 his haunches fronting me, when I let drive another 

 bullet at his chest, which struck him with terrific force, 

 and seemed to knock him backwards. He rolled over 

 however, and scrambled along somehow, and evidently 

 had a deal of go in him yet — at all events too much 

 for me to come down from my vantage ground. After 

 a deal of bother I loaded again and fired at his 

 haunches, which crippled him entirely. He bled to 

 death in about ten minutes. I didn't trouble the 



