CHAPTER XXV. 



PERSONAL ADVENTURE FINDING THE BEAR HE CHARGES COUNTERFEITING 

 DEATH MANNER OF ATTACK THE BEAR THE VICTOR HE DIES 

 ADVANTAGE OF BEING CROPPED. 



THOUGH during my sojourn in Scandinavia I was in at 

 the death or capture of one hundred and two bears, the 

 larger portion of which were bagged when I was alone, so 

 to say ; and though often in considerable jeopardy, I was 

 never wounded by those beasts excepting on a single occa- 

 sion. The circumstances under which the accident occurred 

 were as follows : 



On Saturday the 29th of March, 1844, in company with 

 Elg and two others, I was in search, in the more northern 

 parts of the Wermeland Finn-forests, of a large bear that 

 had for several preceding years committed much havoc 

 amongst the horses and cattle. He was not actually ringed ; 

 but his track having been seen very late in the autumn, we 

 had reason to believe he was lying thereabouts. The snow 

 was fully two feet in depth ; but owing to the Dags-meja* 



* Tliis word is a corruption of Dags-midja, literally the middle of the day. 



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