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Bear Traits 



six feet high ; he looked about ten. It was 

 already too dusky to see clearly the rear Ly- 

 man sight. I had noticed that on my first 

 shot ; but I threw a bullet at this second bear 

 without looking through my sights at all — 

 just as you would shoot at a flying quail. 

 And as both bears rushed off into the woods 

 on the left together, I pumped two more shots 

 after them, like the veriest tenderfoot. 



Then, just as they disappeared, I noticed 

 that the wounded bear was on its feet, and 

 plunging heavily off, with its shoulder swing- 

 ing loose, somewhat further down the meadow 

 than where the others had gone. I remember 

 the sickening thought came over me — " I shall 

 lose them all " — and pulling myself somewhat 

 together, I made a good shot at her just as 

 she reached the woods. She seemed to fall in 

 a heap at the edge of some willows. Fox, 

 standing beside me, said : " You've got that 

 one all right." 



Shoving some more cartridges into my 

 magazine as I ran, I hurried into the woods 

 after the other two bears, passing just above, 

 and where I could hear but not see the 

 wounded bear growling and thrashing in the 

 thick willows. I ran over the top of the little 



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