MY FIRST GRIZZLY. 37

this time. The fact is, they used to leave
tracks in the pack trail every night, and
right close about the camp, too, as big as
the head of a barrel.

Now father was well up in woodcraft, no
man better, but he never fired a gun. Never,
in his seventy years of life among savages,
did that gentle Quaker, school-master,
magistrate and Christian ever fire a gun.
But he always allowed me to have my own
way as a hunter, and now that I was get-
ting well of my wound he was so glad and
grateful that he willingly joined in with
the soldiers to help me kill one of these
huge bears that had made the big tracks.

Do you know why a beast, a bear of all
beasts, is so very much afraid of fire? Well,
in the first place, as said before, a bear is
a gentleman, in dress as well as address,
and so likes a decent coat. If a bear should
get his coat singed he would hide away
from sight of both man and beast for half
a year. But back of his pride is the fact
that a fat bear will burn like a candle;