A DARING ADVENTURE. 279 



unerring bullet. The candle is extinguished ; but the 

 hunter possesses the means of relighting it, and having 

 done this, he proceeds to drag the carcass from the 

 cave. If this be impossible, either from the narrowness 

 and inequalities of the aperture, or from the weight of 

 the bear, he flays the carcass where it lies, and effects 

 his retreat, dragging with him the hide and grease and 

 such other portions as he fancies. In several journeys 

 the whole is removed. Probably no method of bear- 

 hunting affords such thrilling anecdotes of peril as 

 this." 



" Ye may take yer davy o' that fur sure," exclaimed 

 Jake. " This coon 'a many times follered up a b'ar, an' 

 each time he declared it'd be the last. 'Twur once or 

 twice near bein' the last, sure enuff ; but a fellur forgets 

 them things when he's on hot b'ar sign an' 'ithin reach 

 o' pelt an' karkidge." 



" I'm sure, Jake," said Gaultier in a coaxing tone, 

 " you have had many tussles with bears under ground 

 as well as over, and Pierre and I would like to hear an 

 account of one." 



" Wai, young fellur," answered the hunter, " as 

 we're talkin' o' the varmints, I don't care ef I diz tell 

 yer o' what happened to me the very last time as ever 

 was, I follered a b'ar into his cave. Twur ockard, ye'll 

 allow, an' no two sayin's about it, I guess. I wur out 

 west in the Medicine Bow Range, an' hed fixed a pretty 

 tall heap o' b'ars durin' the fall. Wai, one day arter 

 snow time, I wur trackin' up a wapiti bull as hed 



