METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 363 



would be sure to tell, and I should be besieged all night; 

 so I picked up some round pebbles that were strewed along 

 the hill side, and took deliberate aim at his broad, innocent 

 face. The first one cut the moss, just above his head. 

 He looked up, with a quick movement, and low growl, 

 evidently wondering prodigiously where it came from. He 

 had no suspicion of me at all, and looked down again very 

 friendly, and very inquisitive. 



I tried it again. This time I struck the limb near him, 

 and the stroke rang sharply. He clapped his paw over the 

 place, clawed it and smelt. The simple fellow didn't look 

 at me, at all. I felt almost ashamed to be imposing upon 

 him so, But while he was thus engaged, I sent another, 

 this whistled past him on the other side. He wheeled and 

 clawed at the sound. At last I struck him, plumb ! He 

 saw the pebble fall, and go rolling down the hill, and with 

 a savage growl leaped out of the tree after it, and went 

 chasing it down into the valley. It was clear he thought 

 the place bewitched; for he didn't come back again until 

 it had grown quite dark, if he came even them ! 



I took some of the choicer pieces of the bear and hung 

 them to a swinging limb, where they would be out of reach, 

 and then ascended the live oak. I climbed and climbed 

 until I got so high, that, by standing straight, I could look 

 out above the top, and see the stars twinkling in a very 

 sleepy sort of fashion, as if they had been called up too 

 early, and had not decided whether they should wake at all, 

 yet a while. 



The moon was just wheeling up her chaste disc from 

 behind the mountains. They all looked too much like old 

 times to be pleasant just then; so I dodged my head beneath 

 the shade of the moss again, and made my arrangements 

 with the most accommodating forks for the night. That 

 settled, I went to sleep counting the answers to the nearest 

 panther's cry, guessing how many there were to the acre ; 



