March. 1922 
107 
lined aj^ainst a .spotles.s field of ice and 
snow, his long dark coat making a strik- 
ing contrast with the white background. 
As he entered the sloping grade, 1 fired. 
Instantly the bear flinched, hesitated, 
then plunged downhill through the deep 
snow. He had covered about fifty yards 
when my second shot struck him and he 
rolled o\'cr on his hack. I knew then 
that we had him but made doubly sure 
by firing again as he lifted his head, and 
that was all. He lay there facing up- 
hill 200 yards away. This was one of 
the days that the guide did not carry his 
gun. It pleased me to know that he 
relied entirely on my shooting and did 
not hesitate to come to close quarters 
with a big bear. 
Two bears were now on the ground 
and the process of measuring and skin- 
ning had to proceed quickly. In two 
hours and a half the work on the second 
bear was finished and after a tedious 
climb down the mountain we arrived 
where the first victim lay. Night was 
near as, we finished and packed both 
skins back to camp and wearily lay down 
for a hard-earned sleep. The next day 
three of us worked on the skins all day 
long and between times I made a death 
mask in plaster of the large bear’s head. 
Such models are essential in modern 
taxidermy. The following day was de- 
voted to the work of securing the com- 
plete skeleton of one of the bears as a 
Museum specimen. 
next three days weather condi- 
tions were still against us. Once 
indeed when the sound of the endless 
d o w n-pour on the 
canvas of our tent 
got on my nerves, I 
donned an oilskin 
and started out for 
a hunt in the rain, 
but nothing but a 
fleeting glimpse of a 
red fox rewarded 
my exertion. When 
rain or snow did not 
permit hunting, the 
entire party often 
gathered at the base 
camp and what 
w o u 1 d have been 
otherwise dull times 
were enlivened by a 
brisk exchange of 
huntingyarns. Alany 
a good laugh was 
heard also from the 
cook’s tent where 
lively repartee pre- 
vailed. This spirit of 
harmony and good 
fellowship perme- 
ated the entire com- 
pany and tended 
much to make the 
hunt successful. 
Even in the misty, drizzling rain that 
so often prevailed, the scenery in the 
highlands, the favorite haunt of the 
bears, is fascinating in the extreme. 
Dominating the scene the volcano, Pav- 
lof, 8,000 feet high, rears its black sum- 
mit above dazzling snow fields whose 
steep white slopes are seamed by the 
channels of mountain streams which 
FOREST AND STREAM 
pursue their course in the plain below 
among lichen-covered rocks of brilliant 
hue. As we broke through thickets of 
alders or crossed flat stretches of vol- 
canic ash at the mountain’s base we 
often stopped in our tracks, momentarily 
forgetful of the hunt, to gaze upon the 
view revealed through breaks in the 
drifting mists. 
Flocks of handsome harlecjuin ducks 
were often seen flying by or alighting 
on the rushing waters of the streams. 
They appeared to enjoy the river spray 
as they swam against the rapids. I had 
often longed to lay my hands on one 
of these birds and admire at close range 
its beautiful plumage, so I took a chance 
shot with the rifle and killed a splendid 
drake. The prize, however, was not to 
be ours. We chased that dead duck 
down the river for over a mile, but the 
swirling current finally carried it away 
and we turned back more disappointed 
than if we had missed a chance at larger 
game. 
June 2nd the weather changed and 
the day proved to be a red letter one. 
At three A. M. a clear sky greeted us 
and renewed our hopes of finding at 
least one more hear. As it happened 
we were more than rewarded and suc- 
ceeded in killing two. We had traveled 
far and spied all morning until about 
eight o’clock w'hcn Nick exclaimed in his 
usual quick way, “I sec a bear and a big 
one, too.” 
The three of us had a look and sure 
enough, away up on the mountain side 
was bear number six. He was climbing- 
higher and higher, taking long powerful 
A fine background for a hunting-picture 
strides. We watched his course some 
moments until he finally made off over 
the mountains at a brisk gait. It took 
us nearly two hours to reach the spot 
where we had seen him and where his 
tracks passed over a snowfield near a 
high pointed rock. There was no mis- 
taking this giant track. It looked as if 
a plow had passed through the snow. 
The imprint of the pad and claws of his 
hind foot measured 14j/2 inches. The 
hair extending from the heel made the 
track appear two or three inches longer 
and, to any one who is inclined to c.x- 
aggerate, this track might have been 
made to measure seventeen or eighteen 
inches, especially when the animal 
headed down hill. 
We had lost sight of him f(jr a time 
but later noted his huge hulk about a 
half a mile aho\e us, climbing out of 
sight over some rocks. It was such a 
fleeting glimpse that I decided to fol- 
low the track leading over stony ground, 
where the mud was deep and thick. We 
tried to step in his tracks, but his long 
stride was too much of a stretch for our 
longest step, so we followed slowly on 
until we came to a pass between two 
mountains, where temporarily we lost 
his trail. Further on we picked it up 
again and, directly in the bear’s tracks, 
resting lightly on the snow where it had 
been dropped, was the skull of a me- 
dium-sized bear. The flesh had been 
partly eaten off and probably it had been 
some time since the animal was killed, 
as a hole in the brain indicated death by 
a bullet. 
Looking at the evidence of this pecu- 
liar case, we decided that the bear we 
were tracking had been carrying that 
skull up over the mountain. We lost lit- 
tle time over the incident, however, and 
continued our pursuit through the pass. 
The bear moved steadily higher and 
higher until he reaehed dry rocky ground 
above the snow. Here, it seemcfl, we 
were brought to a stop as far as tracking 
was concerned. We sat down on some 
rocks to spy and 
think things o\-er. 
The day was fine 
and we could see 
quite far. Pa\lof 
seemed very near. 
We w ere on the op- 
posite side of it 
now, near the top of 
three extinct volca- 
noes that lie north- 
east of the m a i n 
peak. 
Looking over the 
great ex])anse of 
tundra one could see 
for miles and miles 
till the barrens met 
the skyline to the 
eastward. North- 
ward lav the r.ehr- 
ing S e a and its 
smooth water sp.ar- 
kled in the early 
morning light. On 
our left, and ex- 
tending u]i the very 
base of the volcano, 
was a \ ast flat ]flain 
and in its center a 
glacier- fed stream rushed down swiftly 
to the sea. In places the ash beds were 
dotted with giant boulders that had 
been thrown down from the mountains 
in boundless confusion. The sides of 
the twin peaks of Pavlof were pitted 
with deep ravines that varied in size and 
were endless in number. In this whole 
area not a sign of plant life appeared. 
{Continued on page 133) 
