The water was knee-deep. I plunged onward, making for the centre; the
spray rose round me; the pond deepened as I advanced; I was soon up to
the waist.
I glanced around with anxious heart; the bear was standing upon the
shore. To my surprise and joy, I saw that he had halted, and seemed
disinclined to follow me.
I say, to my surprise I saw this, for I knew that water has no terrors
for the grizzly bear; I knew that he could swim; I had seen many of his
kind crossing deep lakes and rapid rivers. What, then, hindered him
from following me?
I could not guess, nor, indeed, did I try to guess, at the moment; I
thought of nothing but getting farther from the shore, and waded on till
I had arrived near the centre of the lake and stood neck-deep in the
water. I could go no farther without swimming, and therefore came to a
stand, with my face turned towards my pursuer.
I watched his every movement. He had risen once more upon his
hind-quarters, and in this attitude stood looking after me, but still
apparently without any intention of taking to the water.
After regarding me for some moments, he fell back upon all-fours, and
commenced running round the border of the pond, as if searching for a
place to enter.
There were still not over two hundred paces between us, for the pond was
only twice that in diameter. He could easily have reached me, had he
felt so disposed; but for some reason or other, he seemed disinclined to
a "swim," though for nearly half-an-hour he kept running backwards and
forwards along the shore.
Now and then he made short excursions out into the prairie; but always
returned again, and regarded me afresh, as though determined not to lose
sight of me for any length of time. I was in hopes that he might stray
round to the other side of the pond, and give me the chance of making a
rush for the ravine; but no; he continued on that side where he had
first appeared, as though he suspected my design.
I knew not how long the siege was to last; but as I well understood the
implacable disposition of the grizzly bear, I could not hope that the
scene would be otherwise than protracted.
It lasted a long while--more than an hour I should think. I began to
despair. I shivered. The pond must have been a spring, so chill were
its waters. I shivered, but kept my place; I dared not move out of it.
I even feared to agitate the water around me, lest by so doing I might
excite my fierce enemy, and tempt his onset. I shivered, but stood
still.
My patience was at length rewarded. The bear, making one of his short
tours into the prairie, espied the carcass of the antelope. I saw that
he had halted over something, though I could not tell what, for my eyes
were below the level of the plain.
Presently his head was raised again, and in his jaws were the remains of
the prong-horn. To my joy I perceived that he was dragging it towards
the barranca, and in another minute he had disappeared with it behind
the cliff.