VI BETTER FORTUNES WITH GREAT BEARS 105 



been realised, as my rage was great when I found early next 

 morning that the brute had actually passed back again on the 

 trail during the night. His huge hind feet had left a track 

 which exceeded 14 inches in length — truly a beast worthy of 

 sitting up for all night on the bare chance of getting a shot at 

 him. Another day of fog and rain followed, and I had given 

 up all hopes, of ever seeing this bear. On the 16th, however, 

 the fog lifted a little in the afternoon, and taking Nicolai, 

 1 walked about four miles from camp to a small hill, where 

 we sat down to look round. The persistent attentions of 

 mosquitoes soon brought out my pipe. Shortly afterwards, 

 happening to glance at the side of a steep mountain opposite, 

 I saw, about 500 yards away, a huge bear galloping along the 

 side of the hill away from us, evidently having caught the 

 scent of my tobacco smoke in a large patch of alders where 

 he had been lying down wind of us. I was furious, as it 

 looked hopeless to follow him, but there was just one chance. 

 The mountains along which the bear travelled were so pre- 

 cipitous that he could not get up more than a few hundred 

 feet, and the range ran in a V-shape. There was a low neck 

 in the hills somewhere about a mile and a half distant, in 

 a straight line from where we sat. To get there, following 

 the hillsides, the bear would have to travel nearly twice that 

 distance, and as it appeared to be the only spot he was 

 making for, I decided to race for it. I am at the best an 

 indifferent runner, and was then in a pair of high gum-boots 

 reaching to the thigh, probably the most uncomfortable 

 things on earth to run in. But, quickly telling Nicolai to 

 follow, I started at a run, both of us throwing away coats and 

 waistcoats as we went. My object was to get as far ahead as 

 possible at first, since we started with a cross wind blowing 

 from us to the bear, which only served to make him go faster. 



