CHAPTER XX. 



TRAGICAL EVENT. 



MY friend, M. Falk, as said, still survives; and so do 

 Elg and Jan Finne, others of my old forest comrades. But 

 Svensson, my faithful follower in many a severe bear hunt, 

 is gone to his long home, having perished unhappily by my 

 own hand. Though allusion to the sad occurrence is most 

 painful, still to prevent misrepresentation, and for the sake of 

 those who come after me, I deem it best to tell the tragic 

 story. 



The poor fellow had ringed a large bear in a very wild 

 forest tract, lying between the rivers Dal and Clara, in the 

 Tio-Mil-Skog, or Ten (Sw.) Miles' Forest so called, I 

 believe, owing to its extending something like that distance 

 without a break of any kind but he and two others had 

 previously followed the Spar of the beast for twenty to 

 thirty miles as the crow flies, before they could accomplish 

 their object. 



