264 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



frighten a legion of bears, and those in the field took to 

 flight, so that by the time we reached the centre, they 

 were heard hurrying towards the tops of the trees. 

 Fires were immediately lighted by the negroes. The 

 drizzling rain had ceased, the sky cleared, and the glare 

 of the crackling fires proved of great assistance to us. 

 The bears had been so terrified, that we now saw several 

 of them crouched at the junction of the larger boughs 

 with the trunks. Two were immediately shot down. 

 They were cubs of no great size, and being already half 

 dead, we left them to the dogs, which quickly despatched 

 them. 



We were anxious to procure as much sport as possible, 

 and having observed one of the bears, which, from its 

 size, we conjectured to be the mother, ordered the ne- 

 groes to cut down the tree on which it was perched, 

 when it was intended the dogs should have a tug with it, 

 while we should support them, and assist in preventing 

 the bear from escaping, by wounding it in one of the hind 

 legs. The surrounding woods now echoed to the blows of 

 the axemen. The tree was large and tough, having been 

 girded more than two years, and the operation of felling it 

 seemed extremely tedious. However, it began to vibrato 

 at each stroke ; a few inches alone now supported it ; 

 and in a short time it came crashing to the ground, in 

 so awful a manner, that bruin must doubtless have felt 

 the shock as severely as if we should feel a shake of the 

 globe, produced by the sudden collision of a comet. 



The dogs rushed to the charge, and harassed the 

 bear on all sides. We had remounted, and now sur- 

 rounded the poor animal. As its life depended upon its 



