140 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 



to throw the dogs off their line and cause them to follow 

 herself. The victorious punster, on hearing this, con- 

 gratulated himself highly for having overthrown such a 

 sagacious creature with a little lead, and became so reck- 

 lessly industrious that he offered to help carry her to 

 camp; but his offer was not accepted, as he and I were 

 detailed to bring in some birds, while the others were to 

 skin the deer and catch some fish in the lake. 



The entire party then started to go back into the for- 

 est, but we had not proceeded a quarter of a mile before 

 we espied a bear to the windward, not seventy yards 

 away. On seeing us, it raised on its hind legs and stared 

 at us with an inquisitive expression, that proved it knew 

 nothing of man. I lifted my gun to fire at it, but the 

 half-breed asked me not to shoot. 



" Why not?" said I, m a whisper. 



" Because he is showing his cross, and it would be very 

 unlucky to kill him now." 



" We will bear his cross for him," exclaimed Smith, 

 and, raising his gun, he muttered: "Look out, Mr. 

 Bruin, I'm brewin' some trouble for you" — then fired 

 both barrels, which were loaded with buckshot, at its 

 head. 



The doctor and myself followed his lead, and when 

 the smoke cleared away we saw the animal lying dead. 

 The half-breed did not seem to like this, and when I 

 asked him on what ground he objected to my firing, he 

 said that all old hunters considered it very " bad medicine " 

 to shoot at a bear if it first showed the white cross on its 

 breast. This was a new and a pleasant idea to me, as it 

 indicated a deep reverential feeling in the minds of men 

 who are generally supposed to be dead to all religious 

 sentiments; so I must say 1 was glad to hear the man 

 state it in all seriousness, although I considered it only a 

 superstition scarcely worthy of the Indians. This un- 

 expected addition to our stock of provisions was 



