134 F n R T Y - F (> •■ H Y K A R S OB 



The Old bear had left her hole, and tried to follow hei 

 young ; but the dogs kept her so busy, that she did not 

 get out of sight of the hole before we shot her dead at the 

 first fire. Two of the young ones escaped. 



We continued the hunt, and in the evening of the same 

 day fell in with another old female and two young bears. 

 The dogs ran them all up the same tree ; but the laurel 

 was so thick, that as soon as I shot the old one, the young 

 ones ran off while the dogs were worrying her. How- 

 ever, we sent the dogs after them ; and after a chase of a 

 mile or so, they put one up a tree, which we secured. We 

 then commenced carrying our booty to camp, and got all 

 secured in time to enable us to reach home the next even- 

 ing, in high spirits. 



The worst of the job was yet to be done ; for we had to 

 go with two horses ten miles, to carry the bears home. 

 However, we succeeded in getting them all in safe, and 

 they furnished us as much meat as we required for that 

 season. 



Having raised a little money, I laid it out in young cat- 

 tle ; and, there being scores of wolves about, on the same 

 night that I got my cattle home I missed one yearling, 

 which I found had been killed by a wolf I told Mary he 

 should pay me for my calf; but she said she thought it 

 was a bad debt. 



I took a shoulder of the calf, laid it in a running branch 

 of water, and there set my steel-trap ; and on the tliird 

 morning following, I went to the place, and the trap was 

 gone. 



Rain having fallen all night, every trace of the wolf's trail 

 was destroyed. I returned home, after hunting till I was 

 tired, and got both dogs ; but they could not scent him, on 

 account of the great rain. I knew that he would go to the 

 nearest laurel-swamp ; to do which, he had a creek to 

 wosf I went into the middle of the creek, and waded 



