A Bear-Hunt. 30 



the animal, and with their united force dragged it out 

 f really thought that this was an exploit. Since then I 

 have seen many Indian exploits, which proved to me 

 their heroism. 



" In Europe or America the white hunter would have 

 taken his game home and talked about it for weeks, but 

 these simple people only took off the animal's skin, hung 

 the flesh in quarters on the trees, and continued their 

 hunt. Unable to follow them, I returned to the camp, 

 accompanied by one Indian, who broke the twigs of the 

 bushes we passed, and sent back two squaws on the 

 track, who brought the flesh and skin of the bear to the 

 camp. 



"At length the nuts were nearly all gathered, and 

 the game grew scarce, and the hunters remained most 

 of the day in camp ; and they soon made up their packs, 

 broke up their abodes, put all on board their canoes, and 

 paddled off down the Mississippi for the little prairie on 

 the Arkansas. 



"Their example made a stir among the whites, and 

 my impatient partner begged me to cross the bend and 

 see if the ice was yet too solid for us to ascend the river. 

 Accordingly, accompanied by two of the crew, I made 

 my way to the Mississippi. The weather was milder, 

 and the ice so sunk as to be scarcely perceptible, and I 

 pushed up the shore to a point opposite Cape Girardeau. 

 We hailed the people on the opposite bank, and a robust 

 yellow man came across, named Loume. He stated that 

 he was a son of the Spanish governor of Louisiana, and 

 a good pilot on the river, and would take our boat up 

 provided we had four good hands, as he had six. A 

 bargain was soon struck ; their canoe hauled into the 

 woods, some blazes struck on the trees, and all started 

 for Cash Creek. 



" The night was spent in making tugs of hides and 



