BEAR HUNTING. 283 



the enterprise, and now he began to think should he suc- 

 ceed in gaining the top and miss his first shot, his situa- 

 tion would be dangerous in the extreme. The enraged 

 bear would undoubtedly claim the premises, especially 

 should it be a she-one with her cubs, she would doubtless 

 claim her right and title to that elevated position, and a 

 battle would ensue. In this case all would agree that 

 the bear would have its choice of location and the advan- 

 tage of position. In the struggle, too, the beech might 

 be dislodged from the white-wood, and he would either 

 fall with it to the ground or be left at the top of the tree. 

 The first would be certain death, and the other would be 

 no enviable situation. These were solemn thoughts for 

 the sailor, and they probably weakened his ne^es so 

 much that it was found when he attempted to climb, that 

 he could not ascend, after repeatedly trying, one inch 

 beyond the assistance of his companions. 



This so vexed Merritt that he told him to come down 

 and he would try what he could do towards climbing the 

 tree. He then slung his rifle to his hunting belt with the 

 muzzle downwards and began to ascend the tree. This 

 he succeeded in doing, and of getting from the topmost 

 branches of the beech upon the limbs of the white-wo(;d 

 just high enough to look over in the hollow. It was 

 dark, and all he could see was a pair of eyes several feet 

 below him. After informing his companions and charg- 

 ing them to shoot the bear the moment it came out of 

 the tree, and that he should depend upon them for pro- 

 tection if he missed, he fired into the tree, and then re- 

 treated back into the top of the beech and immediately 

 reloaded. While doing this the bear with two cubs came 



