84 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HUNTER. 



formation .by asking and listening ; and that's what I 

 say to Countess's pups every day when I'm home ; and 

 I have got great hopes of them ar pups, because they are 

 continually no&ing about ; and though they stick it 

 sometimes in the wrong place, they gain experience any 

 how, and may learn something useful to boot. 



" Well, as I was saying about this big bf'ar, you see 

 when I and some more first settled in our region, we 

 were drivin to hunting naturally ; we soon liked it, and 

 after that we found it an easy matter to make the thing 

 our business. One old chap who had pioneered 'afore 

 us, gave us to understand that we had settled in the 

 right place. He dwelt upon its merits until it was af- 

 fecting, and showed us, to prove his assertions, more 

 scratches on the bark of the sassafras trees, than I ever 

 saw chalk marks on a tavern door 'lection time. 



" ' Who keeps that ar reckoning ? ' said I. 



" ' The bear,' said he. 



" ' What for ? ' said I. . 



" ' Can't tell,' said he ; ' but so it is : the bear bite 

 the bark and wood too, at the highest point from the 

 ground they can reach, and you can tell, by the marks,' 

 said he, ' the length of the bear to an inch.' 



" ' Enough,' said I ; ' I've learned something here 

 a'ready, and I'll put it in practice.' 



" Well, stranger, just one month from that time I 

 killed a bar, and told its exact length before I measured 



