188 A BEAR-HUNT. 



would give a great roar of baffled rage, and go on 

 pawing and snapping, and facing the ring, grinning 

 at them with her mouth stretched wide. 



" When the men came up the little one was 

 perhaps rested, for it was able to turn round with 

 its dam, no matter how quick she moved, so as to 

 keep always in front of her belly. The five dogs 

 were all the time frisking about her actively, tor- 

 menting her like so many gad-flies. Indeed they 

 made it difficult to take an aim at her without 

 killing them. But Hans, lying on his elbow, took 

 a quiet aim, and shot her through the head. She 

 dropped and rolled over dead, without moving a 

 muscle. 



" The dogs sprang towards her at once ; but the 

 cub jumped upon her body and reared up, for the 

 first time growling hoarsely. They seemed quite 

 afraid of the little creature, she fought so actively, 

 and made so much noise ; and, while tearing 

 mouthfuls of hair from the dead mother, they 

 would spring aside the minute the cub turned to- 

 wards them. The men drove the dogs off for a 

 time, but were obliged to shoot the cub at last, as 

 she would not quit the body. 



" Hans fired into her head. It did not reach 

 the brain, though it knocked her down ; but she 

 was still able to climb on her mother's body, and 

 try to defend it, her mouth bleeding like a gutter- 

 spout. They were obliged to despatch her with 

 stones." 



