158 THE STORY OP THE TRAPPER 



dared not shoot for fear of killing the man while try 

 ing to save him, but Bouvier, who felt himself being 

 choked, cried with all his strength: i Shoot; I would 

 rather be shot than eaten alive! M. Lajimoniere 

 pulled the trigger as close to the bear as possible, 

 wounding her mortally. She let go Bouvier and be 

 fore her strength was exhausted made a wild attack 

 upon M. Lajimoniere, who expected this and as his gun 

 had only one barrel loaded, he ran towards the canoe, 

 where he had a second gun fully charged. He had 

 hardly seized it before the bear reached the shore and 

 tried to climb into the canoe, but fearing no longer 

 to wound his friend, M. Lajimoniere aimed full at her 

 breast and this time she was killed instantly. As soon 

 as the bear was no longer to be feared, Madame La 

 jimoniere, who had been trembling with fear during 

 the tumult, went to raise the unfortunate Bouvier, 

 who was covered with wounds and nearly dead. The 

 bear had torn the skin from his face with her nails 

 from the roots of his hair to the lower part of his chin. 

 His eyes and nose were gone in fact his features were 

 indiscernible but he was not mortally injured. His 

 wounds were dressed as well as the circumstances 

 would permit, and thus crippled he was carried to the 

 Fort of the Prairies, Madame Lajimoniere taking care 

 of him all through the journey. In time his wounds 

 were successfully healed, but he was blind and infirm to 

 the end of his life. He dwelt at the Fort of the Prai 

 ries for many years, but when the first missionaries 

 reached Eed Eiver in 1818, he persuaded his friends 

 to send him to St. Boniface to meet the priests and 

 ended his days in M. Provencher s house. He em 

 ployed his time during the last years of his life in mak- 



