124 TRUE BEAR STORIES. 



stood whooping up his numerous dogs and 

 gathering his sullen clan of blacks to get 

 that bear and that promised $5. 



Away from up toward New Orleans, 

 winding, sweeping, surging, flashing like a 

 mighty sword of silver, the Father of Wa- 

 ters came through the air, high above our 

 heads and level with the topmost limit of 

 his artificial banks. The blacks were silent, 

 ugly, sullen, and so the preacher asked for 

 and received the five silver dollars in ad- 

 vance. This made me suspicious, and, out 

 of humor, I went into my cabin and took 

 Colonel Bloom into a corner and told him 

 what had been done. He did not say one 

 word but took a long drink of preventiye 

 against the fever, as General Beauregard 

 had advised and provided. 



Then we set out for the woods, through 

 weeds that reached to our shoulders, the 

 negroes in a string, slow, silent, sullen and 

 ugly, the brave bear dogs only a little be- 

 hind the negroes. The preacher kept mut- 

 tering a monotonous prayer. 



