Fjeld, famous
as a central station for hunting expeditions, I met several English
sportsmen armed with rifles, double-barreled guns, pistols, and other
deadly weapons, on their way to the defiles of the adjacent mountains
in search of the black bears which are said to infest that region. One
of these enthusiastic gentlemen was seated in a cariole, and traveled
for some distance in front of me. Taking into view the rotundity of
his person, which overhung the little vehicle on every side, I could
not but picture to myself the extraordinary spectacle that would be
presented to any observant eye in case this ponderous individual
should suddenly come in contact with one of those ferocious animals.

[Illustration: ENGLISH SPORTSMAN.]

Here you have him, just as he sat before me--a back view, to be sure,
but the only one I could get in the emergency of the moment. It will
be easy to imagine, from the dexterous grace of his figure, how he
will bound over the rocks, climb up the rugged points of the
precipices, hang by the roots and branches of trees, dodge the attacks
of the enemy, crawl through the brush, and, in the event of an
unfavorable turn in the battle, retreat to some position of security.

No man can be blamed for running when he is sure to be worsted in an
encounter of this kind. Many a brave Californian has taken to his
heels when pursued by a grizzly, and I have scarcely a doubt that I
would pursue the same course myself under similar circumstances. Only
it must look a little ludicrous to see a fat Englishman, a
representative of the British Lion, forced to adopt this mortifying
alternative rather than suffer himself to be torn into beefsteaks. It
may be, however, that in this instance our Nimrod has suddenly
discovered that it is about dinner-time, and is hurrying back to camp
lest the beef should be overdone.

[Illustration: BEAR CHASE.]

These bear-hunting Englishmen take care to have as many chances on
their own side as possible. Hence they usually go into the mountains
well provided with guides, ammunition, provisions, etc., and prepare
the way by first securing the bear in some favored locality. This is
done by killing a calf or hog, and placing the carcass in the required
position. A hired attendant lies in wait until he discovers the bear,
when he comes down to the station or camp, and notifies the hunter
that it is time to start out. Thus the risk of life is greatly
reduced, and the prospect of