THE ‘“‘TENDER-FOOT” MEETS A GRIZZLY 91

were all just about the same size.” Of course he must have been going round and round in a small circle all day, and never even noticed his own tracks !

But about his bear story. Here it is in his own words as nearly as I can recollect them. ‘‘ One day, when I was travelling with a man called Jim, whom I had chanced to meet on the trail, we stopped to have lunch, and while we were sitting down a grizzly suddenly came to our view. We did not see him until he was very close to us. Heavens ! what a size that bear was! He was as big as a house, and I did not like his looks; neither did Jim or the pony. We all bolted as hard as we could go, each choosing a different direction. I am pretty good at climbing, and it was not long before I was high up in a good big tree. Then I heard Jim shouting to me to give the bear the road and not interfere with him, and I answered back: * He has not only got the road but the whole earth, as I am up a tree!’ Then Jim shouted back that he was safely up atree, too.” ‘‘ What about your rifle?” I asked him ; ‘‘ where was it?” ‘I had it all right,” he said; “*it was hung on my shoulder, but in my hurry to get up the tree it escaped my attention; curiously enough it did not even hamper my climbing.” ‘‘ No, the grizzly did not eat the pony or touch any of my things,” he answered to another question. ‘‘ He missed seeing me going up the tree, and kept on in the direction he thought I had gone. Great Scott ! how he couldrun ; he would have caught me in no time if I had not fooled him.”

So it goes. When you go out with the intention of shooting a bear you may have all sorts of trouble in finding one, but if you are just out for a pleasure jaunt and do not want to meet a bear, it is quite on the cards that one will walk right up to you.