IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE. 235 



killing him, I would be regarded in the eye of the law as 

 equally guilty with you. I appeal to Spalding if this is 

 not so ?" 



" H is right," replied Spalding, as he sent a column 



of smoke wreathing upward from his lips. " Such is the 

 law." 



" We must buy this fellow off, Smith," said the Doctor, 

 " we must buy him off. He's an old hunter, known as 

 such, and he'll take to himself all the glory ; and what is 

 worse, the world will believe him. He'll spread himself be- 

 yond all bounds. He'll shine beyond endurance upon the 

 strength of this bear. We must buy him off. It is against 

 all conscience, but there is no help for it. We must buy 

 him off. There's an impudence in this claim which re- 

 minds me of an anecdote related by Noah." 



" By Noah ?" asked Smith, interrupting him, " Noah 

 who?" 



" What ignorance there is in this world, even in these 

 days of educational enlightenment !" remarked the Doctor 

 to Spalding and myself. " Now, here is a decently informed 

 gentleman, claiming to be a Christian man, to .have studied 

 the Bible, and dont know who Noah was. Such an instance 

 of human ignorance in these times, is shocking." 



" Oh ! I understand now," said Smith, " he was the gen- 

 tleman who built the ark. Well, go on with your anec- 

 dote." 



" Well, as I was saying," the Doctor resumed, " this claim 

 of H 'a to a share of the glory of slaying the bear, re- 



