Pe ya mm

amg os

ean mn Ma :
i DS si ane PER

eee ee es ome ee ND

RR ete oe

C=

106 THE GRIZZLY BEAR

have to carry the hide on my back for that distance, and,
as there was no trail it would not be accomplished without
severe labour. Consequently my first intention was to
pass him by in peace, but the longer I looked at him the
more I was tempted, and at last I succumbed.

The slide he was on was a good three hundred yards
wide at the bottom and nearly overgrown with alders,
but half-way up it was comparatively free of brush.
Towards the top it narrowed up considerably and was
divided in two by a ridge, covered with scrub timber,
each division having a deep gulch in the centre with
tiny streams of water flowing down it. The grizzly was
feeding on a small bench on the left-hand side of the
right division and not very far below where the slide
ended in bare, almost perpendicular, walls. It was nearly
the middle of the day by the time I had made up my
mind to have a try for him, so I left him alone and went
off some distance to make a camp. My reason for ths
was because it was unlikely he would stay long where he
was at that time of day, but if he were undisturbed he
was bound to be back in the evening and spend an hour
or so feeding. In this I was not mistaken. About
five o’clock he was back in the same place.

When my stalk was commenced there was a slight
breeze blowing straight across the slide from right to left
and there appeared to be no difficulty in getting to within
very close range. All I had to do was to work my way up
through the alders and into the creek bed and follow it up
to where it would just be a case of crawling for 100 yards
or so. I figured it would be simple to get within 25 yards
of my quarry if I wanted to.

Everything went well at first. I found an easy passage
through the alders, and every once in a while there were
places from which the bear could be seen. Nearer and
nearer I got until glasses were no longer necessary. Occa-
sional tests of the wind increased my confidence. At a
distance of what I judged to be 300 yards I took a
breather. Another 50 yards were covered, and again
I stopped to look at him and he was still there. Finally