62 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



standing my fearful appetite, there was a great deal 

 more than I could eat. Fortunately, the fanner had a 

 stock of gunpowder, and filled my powder-horn for a 

 quarter of a dollar. 



As I was about to depart, he asked if I would not 

 like to join a shooting party ; several of his neighbors 

 were coming this morning to search a thicket not far 

 from his house, where they expected to find a bear which 

 had robbed him of many of his pigs. I did not long 

 hesitate, cleaned my gun, loaded the left hand barrel 

 with ball, and the right with buck-shot, and so was ready 

 for anything. We had not long to wait, and all mounted 

 on horseback. We soon arrived at the spot, and rode 

 round and round it ; it was the thickly overgrown bed of 

 a former spring. Suddenly the dogs gave tongue, and 

 immediately afterwards the bear started out of his 

 hiding-place. Eager ' as we were, we could only follow 

 him slowly, on account of the thick underwood ; so we 

 hobbled the horses' fore-legs, and pressed forward on 

 foot. 



One of the party soon proclaimed that, judging by 

 the bark of the dogs, the bear must have climbed up a 

 tree. Such proved to be the case, and we had hardly 

 discovered him, when I and one of the farmers fired ; 

 both balls had taken effect, but a dull cry was the only 

 consequence ; two others of the party coming up, fired. 

 He was mortally wounded, drew himself together, and 

 hung by one paw from the tree ; as I hit him on the paw 

 with my buck-shot, he fell, and died under the bites of 

 the dogs, who threw themselves furiously on him. His 

 flesh was savory and tender, but he was not so fat as 



