BETTER "TO RING*' THAN "TO BE WRUNG." 299 



to such scurvy treatment, was the son of a Klockare that 

 is, the clerk of the parish, on whom the duty partly devolves 

 (in the rural districts at least) of ringing the church bells. 

 But the hero of the tale, with a woeful countenance, rejoined 

 that, " though to ring was well enough in its way to be 

 ' wrung ' was not only most unorthodox, but very particularly 

 disagreeable." 



Though the peasants in the northern forests often display 

 much gallantry when attacking the bear, yet owing to inex- 

 perience and mismanagement, the beast frequently makes 

 much havoc amongst them. This was the case at a Chasse 

 that took place some years ago, near to Loos, in the parish 

 of Farila, and the province of Helsingland. 



The individuals engaged in the hunt in question so goes 

 the story were Olof Munter, his brother Lars Olsson, Eric 

 Thomasson, and Matts Persson. The bear had been ringed 

 early in the autumn, and on the 17th of December the 

 parties named proceeded to the forest to compass his death. 

 All had rifles, and two of them were provided with axes in 

 addition. They were accompanied by two dogs, though both 

 totally untrained to bear-hunting. 



By break of day the men had already been an hour on 

 foot ; but as they were still about two miles from the Ring, 

 and as there was much snow in the trees, every one carried 

 his gun in a foderal, or case. Whilst thus traversing the 

 forest, and not dreaming of danger, one of the party, 

 Thomasson, bethought himself of reconnoitring an old 

 Bjorn-Ide that he was acquainted with, which lay very 

 nearly in their route. It was situated under the root of a 

 large pine that had been prostrated by the wind ; but as the 

 dogs had already run along the trunk of the tree, and even 



