190 IN THE DAYS OF AUDUBON 



what wooded by bushes and cottonwood-trees, their ears 

 were suddenly saluted by a growl, and in a moment a large 

 she bear rushed upon them. Le Brun, being a young and 

 active man, immediately picked up his gun, and shot the 

 bear through the bowels. Carriere also fired, but missed. 

 The bear then pursued them, but as they ran for their lives 

 their legs did them good service; they escaped through the 

 bushes, and the bear lost sight of them. 



" They had concluded the bear had given up the chase, 

 and were again engaged in setting up their traps, when Car- 

 riere, who was a short distance from Le Brun, went through 

 a small thicket with a trap and came directly in front of the 

 huge, wounded beast, which with one spring bounded upon 

 him and tore him in an awful manner. With one stroke 

 of the paw on his face and forehead she cut his nose in two, 

 and one of the claws reached inwardly nearly to the brain 

 at the root of the nose; the same stroke tore out his right 

 eye and most of the flesh from that side of his face. His 

 arm and side were literally torn to pieces, and the bear, 

 after handling him in this gentle manner for two or three 

 minutes, threw him upward about six feet, where he lodged, 

 to all appearance dead, in the fork of a tree. Le Brun, 

 hearing the noise, ran to his assistance, and again shot the 

 bear and killed it. He then brought what he at first 

 thought was the dead body of his friend to the ground. 

 Little appearance of a human being was left to the poor 

 man, but Le Brun found life was not wholly extinct. 



