50 ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR. 



snow, I had considerable difilculty in forcing my way 

 through it. At last, however, I sighted the dog; but 

 instead of being at a bird, as I had imagined, I found him 

 savagely baying at a huge bear, then not more than 

 twelve to fourteen paces distant from me. The beast was 

 standing on all fours ; but, owing to the denseness of the 

 brake and the stem of a large pine intervening, I saw 

 little more of the brute than head and shoulders. Had I 

 now had wit enough to put balls — of which I always carried 

 several loose in my waistcoat-pocket — into my gun, every- 

 thing would, no doubt, have ended well; but thinking that if 

 I delayed at all the bear would move off, I at once levelled 

 at the root of its ear, which was fully exposed to my view, 

 and fired. On receiving my shot the beast fell like a sack 

 to the ground, but in a second or two it was again on its 

 legs, and whilst retreating received the contents of my 

 second barrel in its hind quarters, which however seemed 

 to take no more effect tlian if discharged against a brick 

 wall. Had I been on foot when it fell to my first barrel, 

 I should at once have closed with it, and most likely put 

 an end to it with the second one. But, hampered as I 

 was with " Skidor," which implements are all but un- 

 manageable in a tangled brake, it was impossible to 

 advance except at a snail's pace. So mortified I have 

 seldom felt in mv life — to lose so o-reat a prize within mv 

 gras]^, so to say, and that altogether through my own 

 stupidity ! Our only consolation was that the bear, which 

 proved to be a female, left her baby-cub behind, which we 

 carried alive to our quarters, where, however, owing to 

 want of proper treatment, it died some days afterwards. 



It would he a long story were I to narrate the sevei'al 

 chases Ave sulisequently had after the old bear, which, to 

 judge by tlie quantity of blood left at her several halting- 

 places, must have been severely wounded. Suffice it to 

 say that, owing to the lateness of the season and the very 



