288 " THE MAN OF THE WOODS." 



the United States ; they prefer to live alone. The hunter 

 arrives in front of the bear's retreat, guided either by his 

 natural instinct, or by the knowledge he has acquired of 

 the different passes of the forest. Once the animal is 

 discovered, he prepares to attack him in his den, without 

 hesitation, without any lingering fear, and this is how 

 he proceeds : 



But a word. I see here, with my mind's eye, my 

 readers trembling at the idea of venturing alone into the 

 midst of the chasms of the rocks, where the least false step, 

 where the slightest trembling, may deliver them over to 

 the tender mercies of a gigantic bear. But this terror is 

 irrational ; you only require to grow accustomed to the 

 hazard. How many men there are in the forests of 

 North America who risk this hazardous enterprise with 

 the sole object of amusing themselves, or of procuring the 

 materials of a good repast. 



The first thing done by the hunter who wishes to 

 attack the " lion in his lair," is to examine the immediate 

 vicinity of the den whither he designs to penetrate. He 

 takes due account of the animal's isolation or sociability. 

 In the latter case, if the bear has a companion, he will 

 leave them undisturbed. The Indian recognizes also the 

 size and age of the animal, the date at which he took up 

 his winter-quarters and this perspicacity of divination 

 is one of the most astonishing mysteries of the natural 

 knowledge of the Indians. The European hunter, of 

 whom " the man of the woods" should inquire if a par- 

 ticular cave was or was not inhabited, would be unable 

 to reply either affirmatively or negatively, while, on the 

 contrary, a genuine trapper would answer: 



" From the marks left by the animal all around the 



