A hunter's life 163 



fired at him. He ran but a few jumps, and fell dead. I 

 dressed him, walked home, and returned as soon as pos- 

 sible for my little buck. lie was a two-year old, and, with 

 the bear, furnished us a good supply of meat for a while. 



During that summer, I was attacked with rheumatic 

 pains in my hips, thighs, knees, and ankles. I laid three 

 months on my bed, and never left it except when lifted off; 

 even that slight motion putting me in agony. When I 

 recovered so that I could move about the house, I was so 

 lame in my right hip, and down that leg to ray heel, that 

 I thought I never should walk straight again. The lame- 

 ness seemed confined principally to the hip, and thence ex- 

 tended down to my heel, causing me the severest sulferiug. 

 So I continued, with slight changes for the better, till Oc- 

 tober ; when I could walk a little, but not enough to ven- 

 ture far out. 



One evening a young friend of mine called on me. His 

 name was John House, and he was the only man I ever 

 met who could run in the woods with me, and keep up in 

 a chase. He had been out hunting, and told me that, in 

 the grounds he frequented, he had observed the tracks of 

 a very large bear --in fact, one of immense size. He of- 

 fered, if I would travel slowly, and reach his camp, to 

 make all the fires, and do all the cooking, for the sake of 

 my company. 



Mary feared that I would get so far from the camp that 

 I would not be able to get back ; and so would lay out all 

 night and freeze to death. I promised her not to travel 

 out of hearing of the young man's rifle ; and if any acci- 

 dent of that kind happened, he would attend to me. 



It was agreed that I should meet him at his camp the 

 following Monday ; and during the interval I should walk 

 out and try my joints, to see whether I would be able to 

 Btand the trip. 



One morning, before the time specified, one of the chil- 



