ie 96 THE GRIZZLY BEAR

4 1 i high, and to cross it a full day should be allowed. So,
as we had to wait, it seemed a good plan for us to spend
the afternoon in a visit to a spot not very far distant
where there was an off-chance of a ram, or possibly a goat.
The country we were going to look over had no resem-
blance to sheep range, but consisted of open, undulating
hills where you would expect to find caribou. In fact, at
one time it used to be favoured by these animals and,
though I had never seen any there, I always anticipated
doing so. However, on the far side of the range one of
the hills rose to a greater height than the others, and then
dropped off for several thousand feet down to a creek.
There was no precipice, but an enormous rock slide, parts
of which were at such an acute angle that it was im-
passable. At the top of this slide, where the grade was
easier, rams sometimes stayed for a while, and occasionally
they wandered over the brow of the hill to feed on the grassy
slopes.

We had approached within a mile of the slide and were
sitting down spying, as we had recently seen a few fairly
fresh ram tracks. While we were sitting there I happened
to remark that I always hoped to see a caribou up there.
anal Almost immediately afterwards I spotted something
oe moving on the skyline. It was to the left of the summit

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of the hill and only a little way down from the highest
part. It was a big animal, far too large for a ram, and
i having caribou in my mind I immediately said, ‘‘ There
is the caribou I have been expecting, but it is only a cow.”
The next second I saw my mistake and that it was a
grizzly ; moreover, he was coming our way.

Now the Major had shot sheep before, but never a
grizzly, or even seen one in the wild state, and the thought
of a shot at that bear appealed to him. Therefore,
notwithstanding the fact that I pointed out that if he
a! fired at the bear he would completely spoil his chances
Ava) for a ram, and that even if he killed it the skin would
ik not be of any great value so early in the season, his mind
was made up that he was going to have a try for it.
| The prospects of a shot did not seem by any means

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