240 SPORT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



with an agility which surprised us all. It was well 

 for him that he did so, for the bear had now quitted 

 the pony, and was close upon his heels. 



The little man climbed up the tree as high as the 

 branches could bear him, and holding on with his 

 left hand, used the spear with his right, and kept 

 the bear from getting up at him. To render the 

 scene complete, the pony was capering about the 

 foot of the tree like a mad creature, whinnying and 

 tearing up the earth with its hoofs, as if it under- 

 stood its master's peril and wished to help him out 

 of it. 



All this took place in a few seconds ; and those 

 who were nearest to the scene of action, perceiving 

 that our friend had mounted up into the tree, took 

 no further heed of him, but started off after the 

 other bears. As for the rear-guard (of whom I was 

 one), we were so busy laughing at the sport that, 

 but for the intervention of Captain Sharpe, it would 

 liave gone hard with the little man. The captain, 

 however, recovered his seriousness sufficiently to 

 enable him to take good aim and put an end to the 

 combat by a bullet through the bear's head. 



There were then four bears left, all making for 

 the mountain as rapidly as they could ; and as the 

 little man was now out of all danger, we left him to 

 shift as well as he could, and hastened after the 

 animals, hoping to overtake them before they quitted 

 the plain. Turning round to have another look at 



