264 A BEAK'S GHAEGE. 



of a wild boar, and I dare say laugh at me, 

 for placing such a clumsy brute as a bear, in 

 comparison with them, and yet he beats 

 them hollow, in the quickness of his charge, 

 and many people who have stood it, will 

 doubtless agree with me in thinking so. It 

 must, however, be borne in mind that a man 

 may shoot bears for years and never see 

 a real downright charge. They will often 

 make a rush at their pursuer, rising, as they 

 close, upon their hind legs, and stretching 

 out their fore paws to seize hold, but at 

 times they will come as if shot out of a 

 cannon ; you see a mass of black fur, and 

 before you can even turn, it is upon you. 



I recollect on one occasion, taking a shot 

 at a bear, as it was peering down at me 

 over a bush ; I could only see its head, and 

 it might have been eighty yards or so 

 distant, and considerably higher up the hill 

 than I was myself The ball from the first 

 barrel (I now possessed an excellent double 

 rifle), went through one of its ears, and just 

 grazed the skin all down the back. Without 



