THE GETZZLY BEAR. 161 



proudly wearing the claws — one of the ornaments most 

 esteemed by an Indian chief — round his neck. Although 

 Kane's gun had two barrels, and Fran<^ois had his rifle, they 

 knew it was ten chances to one they would not kill him in 

 time to prevent a hand-to-hand encounter. The bear walked 

 on, looking at them now and then, but seeming to treat them 

 with contempt. 



Some years before this, a party of ten Canadian voyageurs, 

 on a trade excursion in the neighbourhood of the mountains, 

 were quietly seated round a blazing fire, eating a hearty 

 dinner of deer, when a large, half-famished bear cautiously 

 approached the group from behind a chestnut-tree. Before 

 they were aware of his presence, he sprang across the fire, 

 seized one of the men, who had a well-finished bone in his 

 hand, round the waist with his two fore-paws, and ran about 

 fifty yards on his hind-legs with him before he stopped. The 

 hunter's comrades were so thunderstruck at the unexpected 

 appearance of such a visitor, and his sudden retreat with 

 *'pauvre" Louisson — the man who had been canned off* — that 

 they for some time lost all presence of mind, and, in a state 

 of confusion, were running to and fro, each expecting in his 

 turn to be kidnapped in a similar manner. At length Bap- 

 tiste Le Blanc, a half-breed hunter, seized his gun, and was 

 in the act of firing at the bear, when he was stopped by some 

 of the others, who told him that he would inevitably kill their 

 friend, owing to the position he was then in. During this 

 parley, Bruin, relaxing his grasp of the captive, whom he kept 

 securely under him, very leisurely began picking the bone 

 the latter had dropped. Once or twice Louisson attempted 

 to escape, which only caused the bear to watch him more 

 closely. On his making another attempt, the bear again 



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