THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 129 



return, he asked me to go with him and watch, but I 

 declined doing so. He watched alone, undisturbed 

 by the bear. 



At this season, the bears subsisted principally on 

 the chestnuts and acorns which were then ripening ; 

 so I told the Dutchman that if we hunted any more 

 for bears we would go into the woods, as they gene- 

 rally laid still when there were nuts to eat. He coin- 

 cided with me. A few weeks after that, another bear 

 commenced his ravages among the corn which was 

 in stacks ; they would pull them down, making great 

 havoc. The Dutchman and I pursued him with the 

 dogs, came up with him, and the dogs worried him 

 so that when he came to a fence he was unable to get 

 over. We called them off and allowed him to pass 

 over and go about half way across the stream be- 

 tween the island and main land, when we let our 

 dogs go again. They caught him as he was leaving 

 the water, and soon treed him. We did not dare to 

 to fire at him until morning, for should we only 

 wound him he would come down and kill our dogs. 

 I returned home, but Hans remained all night and at 

 day-break shot the bear. 



A few weeks after, we had a slight fall of snow, 

 and I went out after bears, but found none, though 

 I killed two deer; I skinned them and hung the 

 venison up on such small poles that the bears could 

 not climb, and out of reach of the wolves. About 

 ten days after, more snow having fallen, we went out 

 again, but returned home unsuccessful, and hunted 

 no more until July, when the bears again commenced 



