A hunter's ltfr . 131 



niglil. She said that she thought it was a sin to have 

 such a faithful creature as Watch was torn to pieces and 

 loft ill the woods to starve or die, as the case might l)e 

 She lamented her faithful dog, that had always been by 

 her side, to keep anything from harming her. 



I told her that, having given him as much of the l)ear'a 

 liver as he would eat. he made a tolerable meal of it ; and 

 that I would attend to bini, and bring him home as soon 

 a& I could do so. 



I soon got ready ; but as the old man and I were about 

 to start I called Gunner ; when, as he came running, I 

 heard Watch howling to go with us also ; which he could 

 not, because he was too sore. Mary, recognising his howl, 

 ran to him with a pan-full of sweet milk, which he imme- 

 diately drank ; and she was delighted to see her favorite 

 dog in a fair way of recovery. He must have made his 

 way home during the night ; for I called him before I 

 went to bed, but he was not there. 



The old man and I then started to bring home the bear. 

 Having learned how the Indians carry their bears, I tried 

 their plan, and found it the best I could adopt : first, I 

 skinned the head of the bear ; and then, having split the 

 skin of the head from the ears to the nose, I put the snout 

 through the hole in the skin ; thus forming a kind of rope. 

 I then split the bear's back-bone without touching the skin, 

 laid him on the horse's naked back, with his head toward 

 the horse's tail, which I passed through the hole in tlie 

 skin of the head, and thus the rope made a fine soft crup- 

 per ; and by pulling the bear forward, the crupper became 

 tight, and prevented him from sliding forward ; I then 

 passed his two hind-feet around under the horse's breast, 

 and there tied them firmly ; then, making a rope fast at the 

 lower edge of the bear's ribs, opposite where the girth 

 would go round the horse, I cut another hole in the near 

 skle of his ribs, and pulled the strap or rope as tight as 



