A Horrible Experience
17.
As I was doing this, Owen, who had not yet been attacked, began punching upwards at the bear¡¯s face and arms, striking as hard as he could.
18.
Then, after shaking me violently once, the attack on me stopped and the bear turned on Owen. He thought he was done for. As he looked up through the huge rip in the tent, all he could see was a great shaggy head blotting out the stars. He started, screaming, ¡°It¡¯s biting me, it¡¯s biting me.¡±
19.
I was screaming, too, yelling for someone to help us. No-one came, yet I knew there was a tent only 10 metres away. Later we were to learn that the British couple in that tent had fled when the bear attacked.
20.
As Owen was trying to fight off the bear, I began pushing back on my elbows, working my body out of the wreckage of the tent.
21.
Then, in what we both say was a miracle, I suddenly felt my back strike a rock. It was the same one I had used to knock in the tent pegs that evening. It was probably twice the size of a cricket ball, and I grabbed it.
22.
I could see Owen thrashing about, with the bear standing over him. He was kicking and punching, and screaming in pain and terror.
23.
Suddenly the bear dropped him and again turned towards me. I knew instantly that, if I didn¡¯t do something, I was finished. The bear¡¯s face was only centimetres from mine and I¡¯ll never forget the awful, sickening smell of its breath.
24.
The rock was my only hope. Holding it in my right hand, I struck as hard as I could at the bear¡¯s face, hitting it on the nose. To this day I do not know how I did it because later, in hospital, they found that my right arm ---the one I had used---was broken at the elbow.
25.
The bear reeled back from the blow, staggered and sat back on its haunches looking at us, growling and shaking its head from side to side before dropping down on all fours.
26.
We saw our chance, screamed ¡°run¡±to each other, and dashed for a picnic table, putting it between us and the bear. All the time we were shouting ¡°Anyone...help. Please help!¡±
27.
There were other tents in the nearby area, but no-one came. Then, as the bear began to stalk us, we saw car headlights approaching.
28.
It turned out to be a mini-van with three teachers and a group of school children. They had been camping 200 metres away and heard our yells.
29.
The van almost missed us as it went down a nearby trail nut then, thank God, it stopped. They heard us as we yelled again and drove towards us.
30.
The children became hysterical when they saw us covered in blood, but the teachers bound our wounds as best they could, drove us to the town of Lake Louise and rang an ambulance.
31.
I was in surgery for four hours and in hospital for more than a week. Apart from my elbow, which had been broken by one
bite from the bear, I was covered in deep cuts, small wounds and huge scratches. I had more than 80 stitches and many
of the wounds had to be stapled.
32.
Owen was not quite as badly off, although he had 40 stitches and many staples, and stayed in hospital for six days.
33.
Every waking moment I relive the attack and, for a while, I had to have sleeping tablets. It is the same for Owen. He still can¡¯t sleep and, like me, jumps at every strange sound.
34.
A huge, black beast descending out of the night is a fear which will haunt us for years to come.
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