I 

 196 ANECDOTES OP THE BEAR. 



and sliding down to its end, then gathers himself up in the 

 form of a ball, and lets go his hold ; thus falling from near 

 the top of the tree to the ground. It is said that the poor 

 creature sometimes throws himself in this way from such a 

 height, as to bound several feet high, when he strikes the 

 ground. He then jumps up, and if his bones are not broken, 

 runs off as fast as he can. At length, the poor beast becomes 

 worn out with his constant exertions to escape, and finding 

 that he can neither run away from the dogs, nor hide himself 

 from the hunters, turns around, and defends himself against 

 them as well as he can. The hunters now have time to 

 come up, and while the bear is doing his best to keep the 

 dogs off, or to hide himself behind some fallen tree, they shoot 

 him with a rifle, and thus the meat and skin of the animal 

 become the reward of the hunter's toil. 



