226 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



a bear if we had time to look for one." " All 

 right," said Joe ; " suppose I show you a bear 

 within shot, you give me five pounds, eh ? " 

 " Yes, Joe, certainly I will," replied I. " That's 

 sure, eh ? " " Yes." " Well, look yonder." And 

 following the direction of Joe's extended hand, I 

 saw a little black speck moving about near the 

 summit of a neighbouring mountain. " Oh, I 

 say, Joe, that is rather too bad," I remonstrated. 

 " I could have seen him just as well as you, and 

 got up to him too, for that matter. However, a 

 bargain is a bargain, so let us go for him." The 

 ground was very bare and open, but Bruin (or 

 " Mouin," as the Indians call him) was so busily 

 engaged eating blueberries, that he allowed us to 

 crawl up pretty near. I had to wait some time for 

 a shot, for the bear would not stand still for a 

 second, but kept turning himself about restlessly, 

 moving rapidly from bush to bush, grumbling to 

 himself the while — complaining, no doubt, about 

 the scarcity of berries that autumn and the diffi- 

 culty of filling his ravenous inside. At last I got 

 a good opportunity, but made a bad shot, striking 

 the animal too low down on the shoulder, and 

 only breaking his leg. With a violent snort of 

 pain and astonishment, but without looking round 



