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My departed friend Crawford Hollidge, who lived on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, used to tell this story on himself.

It seems that he had tried for years, unsuccessfully, to kill a bear. Finally, he decided to hire an Indian guide, travel with him up a river in a canoe to wild territory in Maine, unaccessable by road, to camp and remain there until he got a bear.

He hired the guide, went up the river with him, selected a likely camp site, left the guide to pitch camp, and went for a stroll with his dachshund, armed only with a .22 Hornet, in case he encountered a grouse for dinner.

As he was walking along, he happened to look up and spotted a large black bear a short distance away, standing on his hind legs and leaning against a tree "for all the world like a man waiting for a bus."

Crawford looked at the bear, looked at his .22 Hornet, shot the bear between the eyes and went back to camp and told the Indian to pack up.

I understand that for many years the most popular Inuit weapon for use in hunting polar bears was a .22 Hornet. This certainly does not mean that I would attempt such a thing. But then, I wouldn't try to kill a lion with a spear or an elephant with a bow and arrow, either.

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