A hunter's life. 331 



is In one of these animals, until lie sees with his own eyes 

 what they can do, when properly tested. 



Having lost this bear, which was entirely destroyed, and 

 summer coming on, I abandoned the sport, with the ex- 

 ception of killing some deer in hay-time, and catching 

 trout, which was always a matter of course at that time. 

 So things went on until the hunting season returned 

 again. 



During November, I went into Deep Creek Glades and 

 hunted one day to no purpose ; but late in the evening I 

 saw a deer at a great distance. While I was creeping to 

 where I last observed it, the deer moved off, and I was 

 compelled to put the dog on his track ; after which, I fol- 

 lowed him until I got sight of him, when I shot at him, 

 but only broke one of his hind-legs. He ran for the creek, 

 but the dog caught him before he got to the water. He 

 whipped the dog off, but I came up directly, and gave him 

 a shot in the head which laid him out dead on the spot. 

 My son Will having joined me, we took a side of the ribs, 

 and started for Meadow Mountain, which was in sight of 

 us, though it was two miles to where we knew some bears 

 had been feeding a day or two before. 



We fixed up a little camp with such slabs as we could 

 find among the broken timber, built up a good fire to come 

 to at night, and then turned out to look for bears. 



We went to the place where they had been feeding, and 

 were looking and listening with all possible care, when 

 suddenly an exceedingly large buck came walking very 

 fast toward me. I let him come until I was sure of him, 

 when I called to him to stop. He did so, and gazed all 

 around to see whence the noise came, when I took a de- 

 liberate shot at him ; after which he made a few jumps, 

 and fell. We cleaned him, hung him up, and directed our 

 course toward the camp, which we reached after dark, 

 2-0 w 



