care-
ful instructions what to do if elk should go down or up this trail. We, being the little fellows of the party, were thus happily disposed of. That day was a long one, too, for we were bound to wait for the other hunters to come back, and the woods grew so fearsome that we were nearly desperate. Noon passed and a little relief was obtained by eating the slice or two of bread brought with us for lunch, but after that the loneliness fell upon us in masses. An Oregon forest . . . could give the Ancient Mariner suggestions on loneliness. The afternoon slowly dragged away, fearful doubts arose as to whether the other boys could find us again and whis- pered consultations were held as to what we should do in that event. I was busy cutting my initials on a tree when Charlie with an odd sound of relief in his voice said that one of the boys was coming. He stepped out a little farther and announced that there were two of them, and then in a shout: "Tom, it's a bear; the biggest bear I ever saw," and bang went his gun. At the sound of bear I was on my feet, gun in hand. Across the ravine, not 20 yards away on a rocky pedestal, upon which he had stepped from out the brush and looking big enough to eat 40 boys, was the most magnificent specimen of a black bear I have ever seen, and I have seen many. At the crack of the old Yager rifle he fell, struggling fearfully. The excitement was intense. Charlie wanted my gun, but I needed it, and so he started to reload his own, pouring the powder out of his powder-horn loosely into his hands. All my read- ing had led me to expect a charge, for that is what wounded animals do in books. So I stood trying to steady myself for the moment when the big beast should come charging in and everything would depend on one shot. The suspense lasted only a few seconds, for the wounded brute, scattering gravel and dust in every direction, caught the ground with his pow- erful claws, and with a rush went off at right angles directly over the face of the cliff, 100 feet to the rocks below. Charlie and I crept to the top of the rocky wall and
