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麥尼爾
(McNeal)
的槍因為攻擊灰熊而損壞，所以他只好在樹上等待灰熊離開。
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路易斯和克拉克探險中的熊
灰熊追過樹林追逐著部隊成員，逼他們逃入樹林、灌木叢或水中。1806年7月15日時，麥尼爾 (Hugh
McNeal) 獨自一人騎馬外出。突然間，他看到灌木叢內有一隻熊。他的馬兒猛然躍起，把麥尼爾扔在灰熊附近，灰熊抬起身軀，準備攻擊。在這麼近的距離內，麥尼爾要如何反應？他用槍攻擊灰熊，灰熊暫時暈眩而倒地，因此麥尼爾趕快爬到附近的樹上。因為體積龐大且熊掌無法彎曲，所以灰熊不善於爬樹，因而那隻灰熊只好等在樹下，一直等，一直等。等到夜晚要來臨了，灰熊才放棄並起身離開。麥尼爾爬下樹並安全回到營區。
探險結束後，路易斯認為他們的部隊非常幸運，因為沒有任何一個人是死於灰熊掌下。他寫道：「上帝的的恩惠神奇的眷顧著我們」。
The bears chased members of the Corps through the woods, into bushes, into the water. On July 15, 1806, Hugh McNeal was out alone on horseback. All of a sudden he saw a grizzly bear in the bushes. His horse bucked and threw McNeal near the bear. The bear raised itself up to attack. What could McNeal do at such close range? He hit the bear with his gun. The bear was temporarily stunned and fell down. McNeal quickly climbed up a nearby tree. Because of their large size and straight claws, grizzly bears aren't good tree climbers, so the bear waited at the base of the tree. And waited. And waited. Finally just before dark, the bear gave up and left. McNeal climbed down and got back to camp safely.
By the end of the expedition Lewis believed that the Corps had been very lucky to not lose anyone to a grizzly bear. He wrote that "the hand of providence has been most wonderfully in our favor."
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