THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 133 



to see wnat was my success, but I drew the bear 

 under the bank, where it could not be seen, and 

 moved off a short distance. When they approached 

 me, they asked me what I had shot. I replied that I 

 guessed it was some one below. Tb'ey did not 

 believe this, but told me they thought I had killed a 

 bear. I told them to come and see, leading them to 

 where I had left my booty. 



About two weeks after the last occurrence, a boy 

 belonging to a neighboring family came to us saying 

 that there were three bears in one of their corn-iieldsi 

 pulling down the corn, and requested me to come 

 and kill them. I accordingly took my gun and rode 

 over there. The old man and woman were mounted 

 on stumps, watching the depredations of their unwel- 

 come visitors, all three of which I dispatched without 

 much difficulty. In two days I killed two more 

 while they were crossing the creek. I now hunted 

 until the middle of December, killing fourteen bears, 

 and seventeen deer. "When the ground was covered 

 with snow I took a dog with me and treed them. 

 When there was no snow I generally found them on 

 the ground eating acorns and chestnuts. In February 

 I was 9hown the tracks of two bears, which I flowed 

 to a hole in the rocks, in which they were concealed. 

 The man who accompanied me went into the hole 

 with a pole about twelve feet long, on the end of 

 which was a lighted match. He penetrated as far as 

 was prudent, threw in the match with all his force, 

 and then hastened out. After waiting some time 

 in vain for the bears to make their appearance, we 



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