60 WILD BROTHER 



him no immediate relief and, still mumbling and 

 cursing, he bit all his paws one after another. 

 There seemed to be nothing that we could do to 

 relieve the situation. We knew that it would 

 hardly be safe to take him out of the box in his 

 present frame of mind and carry him in our laps, 

 so we jounced along, the air filled with smoke and 

 general distress. 



Before we reached the smoother road on the 

 main highway, Bruno grew a little weary ; and as 

 we stopped for a few minutes to rest the horses, I 

 gathered some ferns and dry moss and endeavored 

 to make a bed for him. He accepted it in the spirit 

 in which it was given, and a little later, after we had 

 bounced out of the wood road, he made the best of 

 a bad bargain. Though still murmuring and plain- 

 tively complaining, he curled up in a corner and 

 went to sleep. 



From Gordon's camp in Aroostook County to 

 my camp is about fifty miles, and late that after- 

 noon we put up at a small country hotel. In the 

 stable was an unoccupied box-stall. Into it I put 

 some hay and Bruno was furnished with a grand 

 apartment for the night. 



It was astonishing how quickly the news of the 

 bear's arrival was passed about. Long before dark 

 that evening a crowd of men and boys, and not a 

 few women, were besieging the box-stall. The 



