1 88 



RECREATION. 



be sure of him. It looked as if other hide 

 than the bear's would be decorating land- 

 scapes. 



I. looked the situation over, threw the 

 gun, and made for the river. In about 2 

 jumps I went over the bank. As I struck 

 the water I saw where it had washed out 

 the soil. Catching a root I drew myself 

 close under the bank and waited for the 

 bear to come in after me, thinking when 

 he jumped he would not see me. That 

 would give me a chance to get out and 

 recover my gun and possibly reach a tree. 

 Gee, whiz ! The water was cold. I had 

 to lie down in order to keep under the 

 bank ; and I was nearly frozen before I 

 took to the water. I had to hang to the 

 roots to keep from washing down stream. 

 The water made such a noise that I could 

 not hear the bear and I did not dare look 

 up for fear he was watching for me. 

 There was nothing to do but wait for some- 

 thing to happen. 



After what seemed half an hour, but 

 which, I suppose, was about 2 minutes. I 

 tried to crawl up stream a short distance, 

 and then look to see what had become of 

 Mr. Bear. The water made so much noise 

 against my neck, that I thought the bear 

 would be sure to hear me, so I srave up 

 that idea and commenced to back down 

 stream. That worked better, as going with 

 the current I made no noise. When 30 or 

 40 yards down stream, I raised up part 

 way, and worked some of the ice water 



out of my clothes. Then I crawled out 

 into the brush and listened for the bear ; 

 but not hearing anything, I proceeded to 

 scrape out some more water, Then I quiet- 

 ly raised up so I could look over the brush 

 but could see nothing of bruin, so I crawled 

 along toward the los\ where I had left my 

 gun. I have made many sneaks for game, 

 but never with more forethought than I 

 made that one. I reached the log and 

 scarcely dared breathe for about 5 minutes. 

 Then I began to look for my gun and in 

 my haste to give the bear all the land there 

 was between him and the river I had 

 thrown it on the opposite side of the log ! 



I raised up on my knees, and as the 

 bear did not charge me, I screwed up my 

 courage and stood up. There lay that 

 blooming grizzly, within 30 feet of the log, 

 dead ! I had taken my bath for nothing, 

 but I wasted no regrets, for I think the 

 situation would have induced almost any- 

 one to take a bath, even if the ice had to be 

 broken to do it. 



I told the fellow at camp that in crossing 

 the river I fell in. As camp was on the 

 opposite side of the river from the lick, I 

 got off without his knowing I had been 

 mixed up in any way. Besides, I told him 

 that grizzlies were as eas} to kill as black 

 bears; that it only took one shot to kill this 

 one. That was my last hunt with the old 

 gun which had long outlived its usefulness. 

 1 bought a new Winchester as soon as 

 possible. 



TO A MIGRATORY FOWL. 



A. D. NICHOLS. 



High in the ethereal dome of darkest night, Pursued by blizzards from the Northland's 

 While quiet earth is wrapped in pleasant peaks, 



dreams, By spectres of a coast ice-bound and 



You take your steady, swift, instinctive drear— 



flight Before you, sunny fields and singing creeks, 



Toward the Southland's vales and reedy And rest upon the water still and clear, 



streams. 



Blest fowl ! when life with sorrows is beset, 

 Oh that we mortals, too, could wing our 

 way 

 To lands of peace and rest, and there 

 forget 

 The sorrows of our cheerless Northern 

 day. 



