THE SNOW BEAR. 47 



the hill-side was very open ; and a ravine full of snow lay between me and the Bears. This 

 it would be difficult to cross without being seen ; the only chance being to crawl across it 

 very slowly, for which there was no time. The alternative was, to risk the long shot at one of 

 the two nearest Bears, which were, as nearly as I could estimate, two hundred yards from me. 

 One of these Bears was nearly white, so I determined to have his skin if possible. Making a 

 rest for my rifle with a grass shoe on the edge of the bank of snow, I fired very steadily. 

 The Bear started, rushed up hill a few yards, and then rolled to the water's edge — stone dead. 

 The skin was a very large one, and one of the handsomest I have ever seen. 



During many subsequent shooting expeditions a fair number of Snow Bears have fallen 

 to my rifles, but no incident of special interest has ever occurred to render a detailed account 

 worth recording. With the powerful low trajectory weapons of the present day, no one with 

 the most ordinary degree of coolness should fail to bag nearly every Bear at which he fires. 



