230 SPORT IN NORWAY. 
tired of this sort of pastime,’ sneaked away growling 
from his unpleasant companion. But it is not every- 
body who gets off so easily. One sometimes meets with 
people who have been frightfully wounded; and it is 
only astonishing that this is not more frequently the 
case, owing to the reckless courage, almost amounting 
to carelessness, which they display in this chase, which 
is generally carried on single-handed. With the utmost 
coolness does the peasant repair to the den where Bruin 
is enjoying his winter slumbers, and crawl in unarmed ; 
then when he sees two eyes sparkling through the 
gloomy darkness, and has ascertained that the place is 
occupied, and that “‘ the governor” is at home, he crawls 
out again backwards, fetches his rifle, which he politely 
left outside the door, and creepmg in again, takes aim 
at the eyes, and slaughters the bear. 
A cow-boy once shot at a bear which he met by 
chance with small stones, for want of better ammuni- 
tion. On being asked how he dared to fire only with a 
charge of small stones, “I never gave it a thought,” 
said the boy. And this is quite characteristic, for so it 
is with the peasants; they do many such things, which 
might presuppose a lion courage wanting that mature 
deliberation, without which true courage cannot exist. 
They don’t think about it. This is not deliberate 
courage. Occurrences as those just mentioned happen 
so naturally that they are but seldom known out of the 
