A hunter's LIFE. 311 



With the greatest caution, we walked slowly on, looking 

 in every place where a bear could be, and presently saw 

 an old fellow feeding on beech-nuts. We attempted to 

 creep toward him ; but the leaves were so dry that the 

 bear heard us, and rose up to reconnoitre. Browning shot 

 at him, and off he went, at full speed. We let out our 

 dogs, which pursued at full cry, and we after them, at our 

 best speed, into a thick laurel-swamp. Both o. us being 

 young and strong, we made the brush fly as if a yoke of 

 oxen was going through it ; and when we had gained the 

 clear ground, hearing our dogs at bay, we went to them, 

 and found the bear upon a high tree. 



" Browning, being the oldest hunter, took the first shot ; 

 but still the bear stuck to the tree. I then handed him 

 my gun, and he again fired at his head, when the ball 

 struck him on the ear, and passed through, without affect- 

 ing the brain ; but down he fell, and both dogs at once 

 pitched into him. Then a hard fight ensued, and on a 

 very small piece of ground. Browning, finding the bear 

 would be too strong for the dogs, took his knife and made 

 a heavy blow at its side ; but the knife struck a bone, and 

 the blade, being very long, bent in two places almost in 

 the form of a letter S. I then handed him my knife, with 

 which he made a second lunge, and the bear tumbled over 

 very soon afterwards. He was a beast of the ordinary 

 size, but very fat. We took out his entrails, hung him up 

 high on a pine-tree, and proceeded on our hunt ; and aftei 

 killing several deer, the exact number of which I cannot 

 recollect, we returned home in good spirits, full of sport, 

 and keen for more. 



" Being still inclined for bear-hunting, I went to Brown- 

 ing again ; and as it was scarcely possible ever to find him 

 in any other humor, so it was this time : he was both 

 reac" " and willing for another hunt. 



