414 A WELL-DIRECTED SHOT. 



southward, we entertained great hopes he might be in 

 ignorance of the " untoward event." After a while there- 

 fore, and that our mirth had subsided, the search was 

 resumed. 



And we had not been thus occupied a very long time 

 when, at some thirty paces to the right of me, a dark 

 object, evidently possessed of vitality, attracted my attention. 

 At this I forthwith let fly, and clearly with effect ; for the 

 object aimed at, whatever it might be, sunk at once into 

 the snow. For an instant a qualm came over me : a sort 

 of doubt arising in my mind whether it was the head of a 

 man or that of a bear at which I had fired. A nervous 

 feeling of this kind, indeed, has never entirely left me since 

 the dreadful catastrophe of which mention was recently made. 

 But my apprehensions were presently allayed ; for in a few 

 seconds the bear, evidently desperately wounded, rose bodily 

 in view and retreated from his couch. I now discharged 

 my second barrel ; but from the closeness of the brake, and 

 an imperfect view, without bringing him to the ground. A 

 third shot, however, fired by me with Elg's rifle for the 

 man who previously had been at some paces to the left of 

 me, had now come up and placed the piece in my hand 

 put an end to his existence. But the two last balls were 

 almost needless ; for though my first was the meerest snap- 

 shot, the bullet was so well directed as to enter the skull all 

 but between the eyes ; and if instead of passing somewhat 

 downwards, as was the case, it had entered the brain, it would 

 of course have killed him on the spot as it was, it caused 

 so great an effusion of blood as must have destroyed life 

 in a very short time. 



The bear a large male fell dead within ten paces of his 



