202 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



long, mellow wail of the driver's horn, both showing the game 

 was on foot ; yet neither of us rose, even, so entirely had we 

 become cloyed of this sport ! Soon the full chorus of hounds 

 burst upon us, seemingly close at hand, still neither of us 

 rose. Suddenly we heard a heavy crashing through the under- 

 brush, and before we had time to think, an enormous black 

 bear rushed past us. 



" Hah ! new game !" I exclaimed, as we both sprang to 

 our feet and fired our rifles after the unwieldy brute. It 

 was evidently hit, but kept on with undiminished speed across 

 the ridge. The dogs, with bristles erect, and savage yells, 

 came pouring after, while we, thus unexpectedly aroused to 

 the wildest excitement, shouted like madmen as we followed 

 after on foot, loading our guns while we ran. We knew the 

 bear was wounded, and would take to the first large tree it 

 came to. The comb of the ridge was about a quarter of a 

 mile wide here, and the ground a general level. We heard 

 the dogs baying furiously now. 



" He's tree'd already !" chuckled Charlie. " Let's approach 

 cautiously." 



We feared it might resort to its common trick when 

 tree'd by the dogs ; seeing the hunters approach, it rolls 

 itself up into a ball, and dropping to the ground, makes off 

 again. We, however, managed to get fair shots, and brought 

 it down. It was a very large animal of the species, and we 

 wound a merry blast, both loud and long, in honor of our 

 unexpected triumph. We supposed that the sound of the 

 guns and the recall of the horns would, of course, bring our 

 faithful esquire, Jabe, to us. After listening for some time, 

 and no answer, Charlie gave another louder and longer blast, 

 with all the power of his lungs, and receiving no answer still, 

 sent out his prodigious voice over the valley, with a force 

 that filled it with reverberations. After listening a moment 

 we could barely distinguish a feeble " too-oot ! toot !" that 

 seemed to come from no great distance, but what the direction 



