A hunter's life. 105 



fehilc I went out to shoot a deer, for she had beer, a lonj» 

 time wishing for some fresh venison ; and I told her tliat 

 her brother wanted to go with lue. She said yes, if I 

 would leave Watch (her favorite dog), which would not 

 sutfcr man or beast to touch her in a rough way; for, if I 

 was playing with her, and she called Watch, he would 

 jump at me, and would bite, too, if I persisted. Then 

 she took two forks, and putting one through each corner 

 of her bed-quilt, she hung it up as a substitute for a door. 

 I made her a good fire, to keep the gnats and musquitoes 

 from eating up herself and her child ; for these pests were 

 there by millions. Hugh and myself then started oflF to a 

 deer-lick, which was near our path, toward Mr. Hoy's. 



When we got there, we climbed a high tree, to keep the 

 deer from seeing or smelling us ; and took our seats on the 

 limbs, thirty or forty feet up the tree. After sitting a 

 short time, I looked toward the far side of the glade, when 

 I saw some animal coming out of a thicket into the glade. 

 I said to Hugh : " Yonder comes one of Hoy's cows ; " 

 and, without examining it closely, I turned my eyes in 

 another direction, to look for deer. 



Presently Hugh exclaimed, " Be — if that cow ain't 

 turned into a bear," Directing my eyes toward the ani- 

 mal, to see what it was, I told Hugh to go down the tree 

 with as little noise as possible ; and that, if I got on the 

 ground without scaring the bear, he was surely ray meat. 

 "For," said I, "he is in that large glade, and before he 

 can get out of it I will be on him, as sure as you live, and 

 he must die." 



We got off the tree safely, without alarming the bear. 

 "Now," said I, "Hugh, do you stand quietly here, and 

 keep Gunner still, until I shoot. You see the bear is 

 coming nearer to us, and I will meet him at the bridge 

 over the branch. There you shall see the grandest fight 

 you ever witnessed, unless I should kill him at Ine first 



