234 A Bear Hwxi in the Adirondacks. 



were as plainly uttered as ever by human voice, and in an 

 agonized way that was distressing. I heard a sudden 

 roll on the snow, then a tumble, and the animal pitched 

 oft' the bluft'; in a moment I was on the edge and beheld, 

 about ten or fifteen feet down, a huge black bear — an 

 immense fellow, biting and tearing at his bloody side. 

 He saw me and turned, showing jaws replete with white 

 teeth ; the rifle passed to my shoulder and I fired again, 

 but not before he leaped. 



As he ran, following him closely, I fired once, twice, 

 three times ; each time he turned and showed his teeth I 

 shot again, when he would take to flight again, scarcely 

 seeming to be hindered by the bullets. Suddenly leaping 

 about eight feet up to a log that ran to the opposite cliff 

 of the rift, I saw him walking carefully yet nimbly, limp- 

 ing in his right fore paw, which was bloody, and it seemed 

 to me that I must have touched him. Aiming, I fired 

 again, and just as he reached the end of the log I dis- 

 charged my piece once more; but, as I fired, he leaped on 

 the cliff' top and ran — ran but three rods, when, with a 

 deep groan, he pitched forward and fell headlong in a heap. 



This was about quarter past one, January 1st, 1870. 



Leaping down into the rift recklessly, for I now began 

 to get excited, I dashed across it and up the opposite side ; 

 I know not how, I dared not descend there in returning. 

 In a moment I was on the opposite side of the pass ; no 

 bear was to be seen ! 



Rushing forward, I slid suddenly down over the icy 

 crust on my snow-shoes, into a hollow upon the dying 

 bear! His eyes were glaring with a yellow light of rage, 

 and seizing my right snow-shoe with one of his hind paws, 

 his claws catching in the net work, he struck at me ra- 

 pidly with his left front paw ; the long, black hairy claws 

 seemed to make the wind whistle past my face while his 

 jaws, over the ivory teeth of which streamed blood from 



