PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 189 



have been creditable in a retreat, but which was 

 bad generalship in an advance upon such an enemy. 

 The foolish fellow did not seem to understand that 

 his followers had neither his wind nor his muscle, 

 and that, without a little practice, it was quite im- 

 possible to ascend a precipitous mountain-side at a 

 two-forty pace, even though a bear's scalp might 

 be the prize awaiting us at the end of the race. 

 We had run four or five hundred yards at our best 

 speed, when our guide, far in advance of us, yelled 

 out, " Here he is 1 here he is ! " in such thunder- 

 tones as would have " struck terror to the souls " 

 of a thousand bears, had they been in the neigh- 

 borhood. The cry, however, was inspiriting. 

 Although DUN was already "blowed," the her- 

 alded proximity of the enemy gave him new life, 

 and he scrambled forward, rifle in hand, with an 

 energy which lifted him in my estimation to the 

 dignity of an exhaustless wind instrument. For 

 myself, I could only lie down and pant. On sped 

 DUN, however, like an Indian runner, determined 

 to have that bear's hide or die for it. But luck 

 was against him. As the guide yelled out, " There 

 he goes ! " I saw the beast rise the brow of the 

 hill and scamper out of sight, unscathed. But my 

 discomfitted friend had had " a good drive out of 

 him," and but for the stupidity of the excited 

 bumpkin, he could have achieved his life's ambi- 



