To go through the brush was dangerous; again and again one or another of the party was charged and forced to take to a tree, at the foot of which the bear sometimes mounted guard for hours before going off.

When wounded the beasts fought with desperate courage, and showed astonishing tenacity of life, charging any number of assailants, and succumbing but slowly even to mortal wounds.

In one case a bear that was on shore actually plunged into the water and swam out to attack one of the canoes as it passed.

However, by this time all of the party had become good hunters, expert in the use of their rifles, and they killed great numbers of their ursine foes.
Other Brute Enemies.
Nor were the bears their only brute enemies.

The rattlesnakes were often troublesome.