The moon came out full and
beautiful, everything seemed propitious.
We went to the blind about an hour before midnight, feeling that surely
this evening the big fellow would come. After two hours of frigidity
and immobility, we heard the velvet footfalls of bear coming up the
canyon. There came our patrician and her royal family. The little
fellows pattered up the trail before their mother. They came within
range. I signalled Young and we shot together at the cubs. We struck.
There was a squeak, a roar, a jumble of shadowy figures and the entire
flock of bears came tumbling in our direction.
At that very moment the big grizzly appeared on the scene. There were
five bears in sight. Turning her head from side to side, trying to find
her enemy, the she-bear came towards us. I whispered to Young, "Shoot
the big fellow." At the same time, I drew an arrow to the head, and
drove it at the oncoming female. It struck her full in the chest. She
reared; threw herself sidewise, bellowed with rage, staggered and fell
to the ground. She rose again, weakened, stumbled forward, and with
great gasps she died.
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