BEARS. 47 



and searching for roots and pig-nuts. The two men 

 crept to the thicket, and fired at him ; they wounded, 

 but did not kill him. The beast groaned, jumped all 

 four legs from the ground, and, snorting with pain and 

 fury, charged towards the place from whence came the 

 smoke of the rifles. The men rushed through the 

 thicket, where the underwood almost impeded their 

 progress ; but the beast's weight and strength carried 

 him along so fast, that he soon came up with them. A 

 steep bluff was situated a hundred yards off, with a level 

 plain of grass between it and the thicket ; the hunters 

 flew across the latter with the utmost speed, the bear 

 after them. When he reached about half way, Glass 

 stumbled over a stone and fell. He rose, and the bear 

 stood before him on his hind-legs. Glass called to his 

 companion to fire, and he himself sent the contents of his 

 pistol into the bear's body. The furious animal, with 

 the blood streaming from his nose and mouth, knocked 

 the pistol away with one paw, while he stuck the claws 

 of the other into the flesh of his antagonist, and rolled 

 with him on the ground. Glass managed to reach his 

 knife, and plunged it several times into the bear, while 

 the latter with tooth and claw tore his flesh. At last, 

 blinded with blood and exhaustion, the knife fell from 

 the trapper's hand, and he became insensible. His com- 

 panion, who thought his turn would come next, did not 

 even think of reloading his rifle, and fled to the camp, 

 where others of his party were resting, to tell the miser- 

 able fate of their companion. Assistance was sent, and 

 Glass still breathed ; but the bear lay across him quite 

 dead, from three bullets and twenty knife wounds. The 

 man's flesh was torn away in slips, and lumps of it lay 

 upon the ground ; his scalp hung bleeding over his face, 



