SKETCHES FROM S.ETERSDAL. 229 



them, and where there are to be found those who have 

 shot 'scores of bears, and but few who have not at least 

 twice in their lives obtained head-money. It is quite 

 remarkable with what indifference the peasants speak 

 about the dangers encountered in this sort of chase. 

 One would think that they looked upon it almost as 

 a common hare-hunt, as some of them have indeed said. 

 The bear, they say, is not dangerous ; for it only attacks 

 when it has been wounded, or as one of them signi- 

 ficantly remarked, " when he is insulted" The object, 

 therefore, is to insult him effectually with the first shot ; 

 for the peasants always use single-barrelled rifles. One 

 very seldom hears of mishaps, although instances are 

 not wanting. When an accident does occur, they often 

 manage to escape in a most wonderful manner. A story 

 is told of a man who had wounded a bear, but not 

 mortally. The enraged animal immediately attacked 

 him, and dashed him to the ground, falling on him ; 

 fortunately, he was scarcely injured. The man, who 

 thus was lying underneath the bear with his face 

 against its stomach, carefully watched his opportunity 

 to move just as the bear moved, so that it could not 

 seize him with its fearful paws. Meanwhile he suc- 

 ceeded in getting hold of his knife, and while thus 

 crawling about under the bear, accompanied this sort of 

 " backward galop " with repeated enlivening stabs in 

 the shaggy stomach of Mr. Bruin, who at last becoming 



