THE OHIO PILOT'S STORY. 211 



last night, I recognized it at once. I can't say I admired 

 it as a musical performance then, and I don't appreciate 

 its harmony now. If there are those who like it, why, 

 de gustibus non, and so forth. 



" But I set out to tell the story that the old Ohio pilot 

 told that night, while the travellers sat smoking around 

 their camp-fires, and the wolves were howling hi the wilder- 

 ness about us. I do not, of course, vouch for its truth ; 

 I simply tell it as he told it to us. He seemed to believe 

 it himself, for he told it with a gravity of face, and a 

 seriousness of manner, which would ill comport with its 

 falsity. His hearers did not seem to regard it as passing 

 belief, but they laughed at the idea of drowning a bear. 



"'Twenty odd years ago,' said the old pilot, as he lighted 

 his pipe and seated himself on the head of a whisky-keg, 

 ' there warn't a great many people along the Ohio, except 

 Ingins and bears, and we didn't like to cultivate a very 

 close acquaintance with either of them, for the Ingins 

 were cheatin', deceivin', and scalpin' critters, and the bears 

 had an onpleasant way with 'em, that people of delicate 

 narves didn't h'ke. I came out for some people over on 

 the east side of the mountains, lookin' land, in company 

 with four men who had hunted over the country. Ohio 

 warn't any great shakes then, but let me tell you, stranger, 

 it had a mighty big pile of the tallest kind of land layin' 

 around waitin' to be opened up to the sunlight. It's goin' 

 ahead now, and people are rushin' matters in the way of 

 settlin' of it, but you could stick down a stake most any- 



