40 BOOK OF A HUNDRED BEARS 



For you must know that, in the Yellowstone, 

 bears are as the autumn leaves in that Spanish 

 place, the name of which I forget just now. The 

 Park has many other things, geysers of all sorts, 

 streams, water-falls, mountains, rocks and canons; 

 but the unique thing about the Park, the thing 

 best worth while, most worth a visit, is the 

 animals. For there the world-old war between 

 man and his fellow animals is ended. It is not 

 a truce nor an armistice. It is peace — lasting, 

 final, well understood capitulations signed, sealed 

 and duly observed by the stronger party. There, 

 alone, of all the wdld places of the earth, the wild 

 are free from fear. There is no ^^open season." 

 No gun may be fired in the Park, nor even 

 carried, save by those who are duly authorized. 



The Park is policed by a small force of scouts, 

 who remain throughout the year, and in the sum- 

 mer by two troops of cavalry. None other may 

 carry a gun. Since 'eighty-eight this prohibition 

 has been enforced strenuously, and more than one 

 poacher has spent a term in Fort Yellowstone for 

 violating this fundamental law of the Park. 



