260 THE BEAR. 



lights in, and is often found in quest of them on the borders 

 of lakes and on the sea-shore. When these resources fail, 

 he will Attack small quadrupeds, and even animals of some 

 magnitude. As, indeed, is usual in such cases, the love 

 of flesh in him grows with the use of it. 



As the fur is of some value, the Indians are assiduous in 

 the chase of the creature which produces it. " About the 

 end of December, from the abundance of fruits they find 

 in Louisiana and the neighboring countries, the bears be- 

 come so fat and lazy that they can scarcely run. At this 

 time they are hunted by the American Indians. The na- 

 ture of the chase is generally this : the bear chiefly adopts 

 for his retreat the hollow trunk of an old cypress tree, which 

 he climbs, and then descends into the cavity from above. 

 The hunter, whose business it is to watch him into his re- 

 treat, climbs a neighboring tree, and seats himself opposite 

 to the hole. In one hand he holds his gun, and in the 

 other a torch, which he darts into the cavity. Frantic 

 with rage an^l terror, the bear makes a spring from his 

 station ; but the hunter seizes the instant of his appear- 

 ance, and shoots him. 



" The pursuit of these animals is a matter of the first 

 importance to some of the Indian tribes, and is never un- 

 dertaken without much ceremony. A principal warrior 

 gives a general invitation to all the hunters. This is fol- 

 lowed by a strict fast of eight days, in which they totally 

 abstain from food ; but during which the day is passed in 

 continual song. This is done to invoke the spirits of the 

 woods to direct the hunters to the places where there are 

 abundance of bears. They even cut the flesh in divers 

 parts of their bodies, to render the spirits more propitious. 

 They also address themselves to the spirits of the- beasts 

 slain in preceding chases, and implore these to direct them 

 in their dreams to an abundance of game. The chief of 

 the hunt now gives a great feast, at which no one dares to 

 appear without first bathing. At this entertainment, con- 



