308 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



was not long before we found the tracks of a Braall liear. 

 We let out all our dogs, and following them as fast as we 

 could, heard them barking ; but at last the noise ceased 

 entirely. Proceeding onward, we found the bear had come 

 down from his tree to run, when the dogs got hold of liim, 

 and had killed him ; after which, two of the stoutest doga 

 had commenced to fight, and were then doing all they 

 could to kill each other ; but we separated them, and 

 dogged them well for their bad behavior. 



We carried our bear to camp, and the next day hunted 

 for deer, with the snow falling fast. As we were crossing 

 a little valley between two hills, we saw two fine does, and 

 killed them both. In the afternoon, I was walking rapidly 

 to get out of the heavy snow, when, in a clear piece of 

 ground, I saw a fine doe close to me, eating chestnuts, and 

 apparently unconscious of our presence. I pointed my gun 

 at her, and sent a leaden messenger whizzing through her 

 entrails that, in two or three minutes, laid her on the 

 ground. We had three does, which it was hard to tell one 

 from the other, they were so much alike ; and as neither 

 of them had raised fawns, they were exceedingly fat. 



My cattle being out on the glades at hay, after a few 

 days, I went, together with my oldest sons and the horses, 

 to attend to their wants. The snow was very deep, and a 

 shower of hail and sleet having fallen on the surface, had 

 frozen into a crust ; but in the piney region the trees had 

 received the ice, and little or none came to the ground. The 

 deer from the surrounding hills had gathered here to avoid 

 the crusted surface ; and as soon as I came to the outskirts 

 of the pines, I sent the boys on to the camp to make a fire, 

 while I hunted. 



I had not gone more than half a mile, when, seeing a 

 young buck busily feeding, I crept slily up to him, took a 

 fair aim at I'm, and fired, when he ran a few yards and fdl 

 dead. 



