106 NEIGHBORS WITH CLAWS AND HOOFS. 



to think of any good thing you have done. The sins 

 come out uncommonly strong. I recollected a newspaper 

 subscription I had delayed paying, years and years ago, 

 until both editor and newspaper were dead, and which 

 now never could be paid to all eternity. 



12. The bear was coming on. I tried to remember 

 what I had read about encounters with bears. I couldn't 

 recall an instance in which a man had run away from a 

 bear in the woods and escaped, although I recalled 

 plenty where the bear had run away from the man and 

 got off. I tried to think what is the best way to kill a 

 bear with a gun, when you are not near enough to club 

 him with the stock. My first thought was to fire at his 

 head, to plant the ball between his eyes : but this is a 

 dangerous experiment. The bear's brain is very small, 

 and, unless you hit that, the bear does not mind a bullet 

 in his head that is, not at the time. I remembered that 

 the instant death of the bear would follow a bullet planted 

 just back of his fore-leg, and sent into his heart. This 

 spot is also difficult to reach, unless the bear stands offside 

 toward you, like a target. I finally determined to fire at 

 him generally. 



13. The bear was coming on ; he had, in fact, come 

 on. I judged that he could see the white of my eyes. 

 All my subsequent reflections are confused. I raised the 

 gun, covered the bear's breast, and let drive. Then I 

 turned and ran like a deer. I did not hear the bear pur- 

 suing. I looked back. The bear had stopped. He was 

 lying down. I then remembered that the best thing to 

 do after having fired your gun is to load it. I slipped 

 in a charge, keeping my eye on the bear. He never 

 stirred. I walked back suspiciously. There was a quiver 

 in his hind-legs, but no other motion. Still he might be 

 shamming : bears often sham. To make sure, I approached 



