Cafnping and HufUing in the Shoshone 



gone off with the trap. He followed his 

 trail as long as he had light, but found 

 nothing, and had to return to camp. Next 

 day, very foolishly, he took the trail again 

 alone, beginning where he had left off. 

 After a long march he came to the steep 

 side of a hill ; the bear had evidently gone 

 up there ; on the soft, snow-sodden ground 

 the trail was plain. Just as he was begin- 

 ning to ascend, there was a rush and a 

 roar, and the bear was on him. He had 

 no time to put his repeater to his shoulder, 

 but letting it fall between his hands, pulled 

 the trigger. The bear was within a few 

 feet of him, and by a great chance the un- 

 aimed bullet took, him between the eyes. 

 He had evidently tried the hillside, and, 

 worried by the heavy trap, had come back 

 on his trail and lain behind a great heap 

 of dirt, into which he had partly burrowed, 

 waiting for his enemy. Among the debris 

 of spring-tide — fallen stones and uprooted 

 trees — a bear could easily lie hidden, if 

 he was mad, and wanted to conceal himself 

 till the enemy was within a few feet. It 

 was a terriblv close shave. 



All animals are at times strangely hard 

 to kill ; this, I fancy, is especially true of 

 the grizzly. Again and again he will drop 

 to a well-planted shot, as will any animal ; 



91 



