116 FORTY-FOUR TEARS OF 



"Well, Charley," I remarked, "I will try it, at all 

 hazards." 



So Charley tied his rope to my ankles, so that he could 

 pull me out when I shot, and I went down to the mouth 

 of the hole, the entrance to which turned to my right, 

 through a narrow aperture, which I was barely able to 

 squeeze myself through. I then entered a large room, 

 with my wax candle on the end of a pole before me. I 

 had to crawl on my hands and feet, while I held the pole 

 in my left hand, and the gun in my right. I crawled along 

 till I saw in one corner of the room a black lump, which 

 resembled a large sugar-kettle turned bottom upwards. 

 This I knew to be the bear. 



I held my gun ready, and called to him, telling him that 

 I had come to see him in his own house, and to rise up, so 

 that I could see what he looked like. I thought that the 

 sound of the human voice would rouse him, and that, 

 when he got frightened and attempted to leave the room, 

 I would kick the rope for Charley to pull me out, and as 

 I would be out before the bear, I could shoot him as he 

 came out. But he would not raise his head, and when I 

 spoke to him he would only shudder. Finding that I 

 could not rouse him, I passed the pole over him to see 

 how I could shoot so as to make sure work of it, for 

 otherwise I might have got myself into a scrape which it 

 would not be very easy to get out of again. 



I put the candle close to him, when he snufiFed the fumes 

 of the burning wax, and wanted to know what it was. He 

 raised his head, and attempted to smell at the candle, 

 which I was going to let him do, when it occurred to me 

 that if the blaze of the candle touched his nose, and 

 burnt him, which it surely would do, he would become 

 furious, and I might look out for breakers. So I quickly 

 drew back the candle, and kept him in a good humor. 



I was still in hopes to coax him out of his dwelling. 



