approach, of course, depends entirely upon the information he has
gained from the tracks he has discovered. If the hunter sees the bear
without being seen, he will approach to within about twenty paces or
even ten of the brute before he fires; being, however, always careful
to keep some object between him and his quarry. And when he does fire,
he should not wait to see the effect, but should immediately run aside
for a distance of fifteen or twenty paces, as the first thing a bear
does when it is shot is to bite the wound on account of the pain, next
it tries to discover who hit it, and remembering from which direction
the sound came, it looks up, and seeing the smoke, rushes for it. Then
the hunter has his opportunity, for on seeing the beast pass broadside,
he fires, and thus stands a good chance of hitting a vital spot.

"At a critical moment a good hunter's movements are not only swift but
always premeditated. Nor does he ever treat a bear with contempt: from
first to last, he is always on guard. He never takes a chance. Even
if the bear drops when the hunter fires, he will immediately re-load
and advance very slowly lest the brute be feigning death. The hunter
advances, with his gun cocked and in readiness, to within perhaps five
paces, and then waits to see if his quarry is really dead. If the bear
is not dead and sees that the hunter is off his guard, the chances are
it will rush at him. But an experienced hunter is not easily fooled,
for he knows that if an animal makes a choking sound in its throat,
caused by internal bleeding, it is mortally wounded; but if it makes no
such sound--watch out!"

"My son, no animal is ever instantly killed, for there is always a
gradual collapse, or more or less of a movement caused by the
contraction of its muscles, before death actually comes; but when an
animal feigns death, it is always in too much of a hurry about it, and
drops instantly without a final struggle, or any hard breathing--that
is the time when one should wait and be careful.

"Then again, my son, if a wounded or cornered bear comes suddenly upon
a hunter, the beast will not at once rush at him, grab him or bite him,
but will instantly draw back, just as the hunter will do; then it will
sit up upon its haunches for a moment, as though to think over the
situation; that pause, slight as it is, gives the hunter a moment to
uncover his gun, cock it, and aim, and fire it at the beast's mouth.
In such a s