234 BRUIN DISTURBED. 



lend it to me, in order that I might stand 

 close to the hole and dash the bear's brains 

 out as he emerged ; but apprehensive of 

 some imaginary danger the man would not 

 listen to this for a moment, and persuaded 

 me to stand a few yards in front of the 

 tree with the rifle, the man with the double 

 gun (he could shoot a little) bemg posted 

 close by as a reserve. A few snow-balls, 

 thrown at the grass which stopped up the 

 hole, soon roused Bruin, and after a few 

 loud grunts, as if astonished at being woke 

 up from his comfortable nap, and so uncere- 

 moniously disturbed, he poked out his head. 

 I fired, having aimed, as 1 thought, right 

 at his forehead, and one would imagine that 

 it was scarcely possible to miss so fair a 

 shot at the distance of a few paces ; the 

 man with the double gun also let fly both 

 barrels, but it only appeared to awake the 

 brute to the real state of afiairs. In a 

 moment he wriggled his body out of the 

 hole, and with a loud roar rose on his 

 hind logs, and was in the act of dashing 



