484 AUDUBON 



date the animals as to induce them to seek refuge upon 

 the dead trees with which the field was still partially 

 covered. 



The plan succeeded. The horns sounded, the horses 

 galloped forward, the men shouted, the dogs barked and 

 howled. The shrieks of the negroes were enough to 

 frighten a legion of Bears, and those in the field took to 

 flight, so that by the time we reached the centre they 

 were heard hurrying towards the tops of the trees. Fires 

 were immediately lighted by the negroes. The drizzling 

 rain had ceased, the sky cleared, and the glare of the 

 crackling fires proved of great assistance to us. The 

 Bears had been so terrified that we now saw several of 

 them crouched at the junction of the larger boughs with 

 the trunks. Two were immediately shot down. They 

 were cubs of no great size, and being already half dead, 

 we left them to the dogs, which quickly despatched 

 them. 



We were anxious to procure as much sport as possible, 

 and having observed one of the Bears, which from its size 

 we conjectured to be the mother, ordered the negroes to 

 cut down the tree on which it was perched, when it was 

 intended the dogs should have a tug with it, while we 

 should support them, and assist in preventing the Bear 

 from escaping by wounding it in one of the hind-legs. 

 The surrounding woods now echoed to the blows of the 

 axemen. The tree was large and tough, having been 

 girded more than two years, and the operation of fell- 

 ing it seemed extremely tedious. However, it began to 

 vibrate at each stroke ; a few inches alone now supported 

 it; and in a short time it came crashing to the ground, in 

 so awful a manner that Bruin must doubtless have felt the 

 shock as severe as we should feel a shake of the globe 

 produced by the sudden collision of a comet. 



The dogs rushed to the charge, and harassed the Bear 

 on all sides. We had remounted, and now surrounded 



