In the
fall of the year, when the bears are fat, they refuse to run, but wade
through the pack, which is unable to keep him from attacking the
hunter.
As an example of this, he related an instance where he started a
grizzly with eight or ten Russian bear hounds, and chased the beast
about thirty miles. As he followed on horseback, he found one after the
other of his dogs torn to pieces, disemboweled, and dismembered. At
last, he came upon the bear at bay in deep snow, against a high cliff.
Only two of his hounds were left, and one of these had a broken leg.
Mad with vengeance, Frost shot the grizzly. It charged him at forty
yards. In quick succession he fired five bullets in the oncoming bear,
seemingly with no effect. Up to his waist in the snow, he was unable to
avoid its rush. It came on and fell dead on his chest, with the
faithful hound hanging to it in a desperate effort to save his master.
This is one of the three or four maulings that Ned has received in his
hunting experiences, which, he says, "have added frost to my golden
locks." The dog became a cherished pet in the family for many years.
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