BRUIN BROUGHT TO THE GROUND. 231 



We travelled quietly, and as silently as we could for near 

 half a mile, and as we rounded a low but steep point of a 

 hill, there sat bruin, some twelve rods from us, in the forks 

 of a great birch tree, forty feet from the ground, looking 

 down in calm dignity upon the dogs that were baying and 

 leaping up against the tree beneath him. Did anybody ever 

 notice what a meek, innocent look a bear has when in 

 repose ? How hypocritically he leers upon everything about 

 him, as if butter would not melt in his mouth ? Well, such 

 was the look of that bear, as he peered out first on one side, 

 then on the other of the great limbs between which he was 

 sitting, secure, as he supposed, from danger. But he was 

 never more mistaken in his life. In watching the dogs he 

 had failed to discover us. We agreed that three should fire 

 upon him at once, reserving the fourth charge for whatever 

 contingency might happen. Smith, the Doctor, and Spald- 

 ing sighted him carefully, each with his rifle resting against 

 the side of a tree, and blazed away, their guns sounding 

 almost together. It was pitiful the scream of agony that 

 bear sent up. It was almost human in its anguish. It 

 went ringing through the woods, dying away at last almost 

 in a human groan. After struggling and clasping his arms 

 for a moment around the great branch of the tree, his 

 hold relaxed, he reeled from side to side, and then fell 

 heavily to the ground, with three balls within an inch of each 

 other, right through his vitals. He was larger than a 

 medium sized animal of his species, and in excellent case. 



The next thing in order was to transport him to our boats. 



