112 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



fallen there. " In order to have a bear-hunt several far- 

 mers met, and let loose a tame two-year-old bear, giving 

 him half an hour's law, and then following with horse and 

 hound. The bear made straight for some hills, and in 

 about an hour and a half's time was chased into a tree. 

 Not wishing to kill him, no one had brought a rifle ; so I 

 went to a house about half a mile off, and borrowed an 

 axe to cut down the tree. The bear looked with inquisi- 

 tive eyes on the proceedings below, and did not appear to 

 suspect danger, till the tree fell with a tremendous crash ; 

 men and dogs threw themselves on the half-stunned bear, 

 to secure him and take him home ; but the majority voted 

 for another hunt, so the dogs were held in and the bear 

 let loose. After a time, we all went after him again ; 

 this time the chase lasted longer, as the bear "swam a 

 river, and to avoid a wetting we turned off to a bridge, 

 giving the bear a great advantage. At length, when we 

 got close to him, he took to an enormous fir-tree, and we 

 all assembled under it ; none of us knew how to get him 

 down again. We were several miles from any house, and 

 had left the axe behind us, and he seemed to set us at 

 defiance in his lofty position. Nevertheless he did not 

 seem quite at his ease, and kept looking anxiously first 

 on one side, and then on the other, at the dogs who were 

 jumping and barking round the trunk of the tree. This 

 inspired an old Virginian of the party with a new idea. 

 There were several pine branches lying about ; so, taking 

 up one of the heaviest and longest, he commenced strik- 

 ing the tree with all his force. At the first blow, the 

 bear gave a start as if electrified, and at the second or 

 third he darted down like lightning among the dogs, when 



