FATAL ACCIDENT. 4 I 1 



To buy the bear was one thing, but to bag him another ; 

 and this, for more reasons than one, was by far the most 

 difficult part of the affair. The snow in the first place was 

 loose, and in no very favourable state for Skidor ; it besides 

 lay very unequally for owing to heavy rains in the early 

 part of the winter, there was comparatively little on the 

 lower grounds where the thaw had taken greater effect; 

 whereas on the higher grounds it was three feet or more 

 in depth. Of this circumstance the bear, who is a tolerable 

 good judge of such like matters, was nearly certain, when 

 ,once started, to take advantage, in which case it would have 

 been no easy matter to come to close quarters with him. 

 And then again, he had already been so persecuted that he 

 was pretty sure to keep a good look-out, so that the chances 

 of being able to steal upon him whilst in his lair were 

 very slight. 



Thinking the latter plan the most feasible, we determined 

 on its adoption. On the following morning therefore, at an 

 early hour, Elg and I started for the Ring, which was at 

 some six to seven miles to the north-east of Lofskogsasen, 

 and at about twenty from the beast's original bed. We were 

 accompanied by a peasant named Jan one of the indi- 

 viduals who had taken part in the several C basses spoken 

 of who bore a well-filled kit, as also an axe, the length of 

 our stay in the forest being very uncertain. 



Some half-a-dozen winters before, this man, in company 

 with three others, set out from home in search of a bear, 

 and at length came upon one of those beasts, who had taken 

 up his abode under a huge boulder. All the men were armed 

 with rifles ; but most unhappily, whilst they were congre- 

 gated about the mouth of the den, and in the act of 



