A H V NT KH 'S LIFE. IT5 



Bcc his little woman ; whereupon Charles turned to nie, 

 remarking: "What say you, Browning? Will you go 

 with me in search of the bear, or will yon go with Johr. 

 after the women ? " 



" Well, Charles," said I, " as I think the women will not 

 run away, and the bear may, I will go with you after the 

 bear to-day, and leave the women till to-morrow." 



We then all ate breakfast together, and after it was over 

 started off; John to see his wife, and Charley and I to 

 seek the bear ; Charley carrying with hira a long rope and 

 a wax candle, for use in case of emergency. We soon 

 found the bear's track at the place where Charles had left 

 it the evening before, and pursued it about a mile to a 

 deep, muddy spring, into which the bear had plunged, 

 throwing the mud around all over the snow. He had done 

 this to cool himself, for he was so fat that he was too warm 

 for comfort ; and subsequently he had walked off to a 

 large ledge of rocks and laurel, where he entered a hole. 

 The hole was about seven feet deep, at the bottom of a 

 wide seam in the rocks, and extended under the main 

 ledge. 



The question now arose, how we were to get him out. 

 I had never entered the den of a sleeping bear, nor had 

 Charles ; but one of us must do it now, or we would bo 

 compelled to leave the bear in quiet possession of his 

 residence. 



"Well, Charley," said I, "as you are a much smaller 

 man than myself, I can pull you out more easily than you 

 could me ; and therefore you must try it." 



"No ! no !" said he, "if I never eat a piece of bear 

 meat in my life, I will not go into such a place as that is." 



"Well," said I, "do you think you can draw me out 

 after I shoot, >f I should only wound him, before he can 

 tear me to pieces ? " 



" Oh yea 1 I can — I know I can," he replied 



