The Nova Scotia Black Bear 



without tripping upon the string and at once being 

 discovered in a glaring spot-light. The watchers upon 

 the roof — who were to take turns, sea fashion, four hours 

 on and four hours off — were supposed to drill any night 

 marauder that tripped over the string, plum full of 

 holes with a big old Snider rifle. 



The stage set, the first watcher took his place, and 

 with hardly two hours of his vigil completed, bang ! 

 went the old Snider. The cabin vomited forth a 

 number of eager reinforcements, each with boots in one 

 hand and gun in the other. 



" I've got him," bellowed a triumphant voice from 

 a black void over the kitchen roof. 



" Got what ?" — from one of the skulking doubting 

 Thomases below. 



" The bear " — impatiently, from the dusky heights. 



" Where ? We don't see him " — from the still sceptical 

 reserves. 



Bang ! the old Snider roared again. 



'' That stopped him. He was crawling away, and I 

 had to give it to him again," exulted the forces from 

 the fortification above. Being in desperate fear of 

 charging into their own barrage, the reserves up to this 

 point had kept well under the protection of the walls. 



" Hold your fire, and we'll go look him over," ex- 

 citedly suggested one of the infantry squad. 



Although the spot-light on the tree shone steadily 

 in the direction of the pan of molasses, no huge quivering 

 black shape lay gasping within the radius of its gleam, 

 so with precautionary commands to the sharp-shooter 

 above, the ground forces unlimbered pocket flash-lights 

 and anticipatingly stole forward. Not until they were 

 within ten feet of the bait did they discern a small huddled 

 spiny black mass. It was just upon the edge of the circle 

 of light and blinking stupidly at the unusual performance- 



39 



