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RECREATION MAGAZINE 



a deafening bawl and the crash of 

 breaking brush, which was my first in- 

 timation of a bear's presence. 



"There was no* time for deliberation, 

 for the charging brute was less than 

 seven feet away when I turned. Throw- 



of her neck. With a blow from one 

 paw she knocked the rifle from my 

 hands and with the other struck me on 

 the shoulder and sent me sprawling to 

 the ground. Before I could regain my 

 feet she was upon me again. I shall 



ing the carbine to my shoulder, I pulled never forget the terrible sensation that 

 the trigger just as she raised upon her came over me as I looked into that 



hind legs. The bullet en- 

 tered her belly and came 

 out near her backbone. 

 Quickly throwing another 

 cartridge into the rifle 

 chamber, I was on the 

 point of firing a second 

 time when the bear, roar- 

 ing from pain and anger, 

 seized the rifle between 

 her jaws. Her teeth split 

 the sliding forepiece and 

 closed upon the magazine, 



WHAT BRUIN^S TEETH DID 

 TO A CARTRIDGE. 



yawning mouth, heard 

 the deafening roar, and 

 felt her breath on my 

 cheek. I can not say that 

 I was badly frightened, 

 the excitement had driven 

 fright away ; but I felt 

 utterly helpless and 

 thought that my time had 

 surely come. One of her 

 long canine teeth sank 

 deep in the flesh of my 

 neck, and I expected every 



biting it completely in two, which ren- second to feel the bones of my shoulder 

 dered the gun useless as a repeater, but being ground to pieces, 

 the shell in the chamber could yet be "I was lying on my side and must 

 fired. For several seconds we fought have thrown my arm up, when I felt the 

 for the possession of the rifle, but it was pain, for when the huge jaws came to- 

 soon wrenched from my grasp and fell gether, the tooth in my neck tore loose 

 to the ground. and she grasped only a mouthful of 

 "Realizing that one sweep of the wrinkled clothing on my shoulder. Evi- 

 bear's powerful paw would crush my dently the wounds were beginning to 



skull, I took advan- 

 tage of what seemed 

 to be my only chance. Throwing my 

 arms around her body, I buried my 

 head in her long, thick hair and clung 

 like grim death. We staggered from 

 side to side while her huge jaws clashed 

 about my head ; why she was unable to 

 reach me with her teeth I can not say. 

 Finally we fell in a heap to the ground 

 and I landed on top. Jumping to my 

 feet, I snatched the rifle and fired the 

 remaining shot as the bear charged a 

 second time. The ball entered her 

 throat, and passed out through the back 



weaken her, for she 



loosened her hold 



immediately, and backing away a few 



paces, stood facing me. 



"I tried to regain my feet, but only 

 rolled down a slight incline and lodged 

 under a fallen tree trunk at the bottom, 

 where I lay quite helpless. 



"Seeing that I was still alive, the bear 

 made another onslaught, and as she 

 came within reach I thrust a stick into 

 her face. She made several feeble 

 passes at it with her paws and stood 

 there with her mouth half open, bawling 

 and threatening to attack me, but finally 



