S18 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



fired, when the buck made a few jumps, and fell dead. 

 We carried the bear to where the buck was, hung them up 

 together, and left them until we could get horses to bring 

 them in. That evening turning out to be very stormy, 

 with hail and snow, we started for our homes. 



It continued stormy for some days, and the snow fell to 

 a considerable depth. John McMullen went home ; and 

 after the storm had passed over, Vansickle and myself went 

 for our game, taking with us both my dogs. Finding our 

 meat all safe, we loaded it ; and as we were on our way 

 home, we saw the tracks of four bears, which had crossed 

 the road while we had been gone. I told Sam to attend 

 to the horse, and take the meat home, while I would try 

 to kill the old she-bear and her cubs. So off" he started 

 for home, and I followed after the bears, taking the dogs 

 with me. 



When I came to the Little Crossings, I found that the 

 water was deep ; but, discovering a tree that had fallen 

 a.?ross the stream, I got safely over, and pursued the bears 

 into a thick laurel-swamp. It was then raining fast, and 

 was very bad weather for hunting in the thicket ; so I sent 

 the dogs in, and after some time, hearing them in full 

 chase, I followed them ; when presently something came 

 rusliing through the laurels, which I suspected was one of 

 the bears, taking the back track, as they often will do. I 

 stood still, and saw the old bear coming toward me at full 

 leap. The laurel was so thick that I could not see any 

 open place to shoot through ; yet, knowing that I had no 

 other chance, I fired at random, but without stopping her. 

 I saw that my ball had passed through a large laurel-busli, 

 and supposed that it had done nothing more ; but on ap- 

 proaching the track, there was so much blood on it, that 

 I concluded she was shot through the ribs. I loaded 

 again ind still heard the dogs barking in the swamp. I 



