to spend the season studying
wild animal life, we lived in a small shanty that stood near Yancey's,
and had many pleasant meetings with Antelope, Beaver, etc., but were
disappointed in not seeing any Bears. One of my reasons for coming was
the promise of "as many Bears as I liked." But some tracks on the trail
a mile away were the only proofs that I found of Bears being in the
region.

One day General Young, then in charge of the Park, came to see how we
were getting along. And I told him that although I had been promised as
many Bears as I liked, and I had been there investigating for six weeks
already, I hadn't seen any. He replied, "You are not in the right place.
Go over to the Fountain Hotel and there you will see as many Bears as
you wish." That was impossible, for there were not Bears enough in the
West to satisfy me, I thought. But I went at once to the Fountain Hotel
and without loss of time stepped out the back door.

[Illustration]

I had not gone fifty feet before I walked onto a big Blackbear with her
two roly-poly black cubs. The latter were having a boxing match, while
the mother sat by to see fair play. As soon as they saw me they stopped
their boxing, and as soon as I saw them I stopped walking. The old Bear
gave a peculiar "_Koff koff_," I suppose of warning, for the young ones
ran to a tree, and up that they shinned with alacrity that amazed me.
When safely aloft, they sat like small boys, holding on with their
hands, while their little black legs dangled in the air, and waited to
see what was to happen down below.

The mother Bear, still on her hind legs, came slowly toward me, and I
began to feel very uncomfortable indeed, for she stood about six feet
high in her stocking feet, and I had not even a stick to defend myself
with. I began backing slowly toward the hotel, and by way of my best
defense, _I_ turned on her all the power of my magnetic eye. We have all
of us heard of the wonderful power of the magnetic human eye. Yes, _we_
have, but apparently this old Bear had not, for she came on just the
same. She gave a low woof, and I was about to abandon all attempts at
dignity, and run for the hotel; but just at this turning-point the old
Bear stopped, and gazed at me calmly.

Then she faced about and waddled over to the tree, up which were the
cubs. Underneath she stood, looking first at me, then at her family. I
realized that she wasn't going to bother me, in fact she never seemed
very serious