114 BIG GAME SHOOTING IN ALASKA chap. 



expected to see the bear after him. Fortunately, however, 

 the latter was so sick that he could barely stand, and on 

 Little shouting to say that he could see the bear in the 

 brush, I told him to finish the business, which he did with 

 a bullet in the shoulder. On reaching the spot, I knew that 

 I had got a bear at last, and one that any one might be proud 

 of, even in Alaska. Little said it was the largest he had 

 seen, and, turning to Nicolai, I repeated my question of 

 two days before regarding his opinion, fully expecting the 

 same reply as before, since I suspected Nicolai of having 

 caught the American trick of not liking to be beaten on his 

 former experiences. However, I was agreeably surprised 

 when he at once said, " No, me never see bear so large 

 before." The task of skinning this great brute was not 

 easy ; in fact it took us all we could do to haul the carcass 

 out of a small hollow in the ground where it lay. When 

 skinned, it looked like the carcass of some great bullock, and 

 I guessed its weight at 1400 lbs., since we had heard such 

 tales about these Alaskan bears exceeding 1600 lbs. in 

 weight. Little, on the other hand, said he thought the 

 weight was under 1200 lbs., but as I had provided myself 

 with a weighing machine, in order to get some idea of the 

 weight of the fabulous monsters inhabiting the country, we 

 decided to return on the following day and then weigh the 

 carcass. It was not, however, till two days later that we did 

 return to do this, since it streamed so unceasingly with rain 

 during the next day that none of us cared to face it. As 

 soon as the skull and skin had been made into a pack, and 

 the natives had removed part of the entrails for making 

 cameleekas, we started for home. Nicolai fairly staggered 

 under the weight of his pack, and on his arrival in camp 

 some hours later, I could scarcely induce him to stand up 



