164 TRUE BEAR STORIES. 



ation in his voice, said to brother John 

 and me, 



"Boys, go up and around the thicket 

 with your gun and beat the bush down the 

 canyon as you come down. Mr. Monnehan 

 and I will drop down to the bottom of the 

 canyon here between the woods and the 

 house and catch him as he comes out." 



Brother and I were greatly cheered at 

 this; for it was evident that father had 

 faith that we would find the bear yet. And 

 believing that the fun was not over, we, 

 tired as we were, bounded forward and 

 on and up and around the head of the 

 canyon with swift feet and beating hearts. 

 Here we separated, and each taking a half 

 of the dense copse of wood and keeping 

 within hailing distance, we hastily de- 

 scended through the steep tangle of grape- 

 vine, wild hops, wild gourdvines and all 

 sorts of things, shouting and yelling as we 

 went. But no bear or sign of bear as yet. 



We were near the edge of the brush. 

 I could see, from a little naked hillock in 



