The Trapper's Journey

From High Society to Buckskins

When suddenly, the bear rears up not thirty feet to the front of us; I react instantly, brining my rifle to my shoulder and firing almost at the same instant.I hit him, because, he looks at us.I turn and yell, Darleen up that tree!She gets the limb from her saddle while I'm still reloading and pulls her, self up.I wish that tree was bigger but, it was the nearest one to her position.

I get my rifle reloaded just as the big grizzly breaks through the underbrush, spruce and aspen saplings not twenty feet in front of me.I throw the gun to my shoulder to fire.But, Pegasus starts bucking almost, as soon as, the rifle comes to my shoulder.Consequently, I get a shot off but, its a dead miss; because, both me and the rifle are flying through the air.I hit the ground hard, I lay all sprawled out.The next thing I feel is the bears hot breath.The rifle is ten feet away it might as well be ten miles and I couldnt reload fast enough anyway.