AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT. 99 



without a fire. In order to avoid the bears and pan- 

 thers, I had climbed up a tree, but the wind was too 

 sharp to make such an airy perch endurable. At 

 length I found a hollow tree, crept in, covered my feet 

 with my game-bag, placed my gun on my left side, and, 

 with my knife in my right hand, I passed one of the 

 most uncomfortable nights of my life. I heard the 

 howling of the wolves, and once the roar of a panther 

 in the distance ; but nothing came to disturb me, and 

 the bright morning sun saw me early on the march, 

 for my couch was not inviting enough to detain me. 

 At length, what music to my ears ! the crow of a cock 

 and bark of a dog announced the neighborhood of a 

 farm. I soon perceived the thin, blue smoke of a 

 chimney ascending into the beautiful clear sky, and, 

 with a quickened pace made towards it, hoping soon 

 to refresh both body and soul. 



The good people gave me such a hospitable reception, 

 and placed so much on the table, that, notwithstanding 

 my fearful appetite, there was a great deal more than 

 I could eat. Fortunately, the farmer had a stock of 

 gunpowder, and filled my powder-horn for a quarter of 

 a dollar. 



As I was about to depart, he asked if I would jiot 

 like to join a shooting party ; several of his neighbors 

 were coming this morning to search a thicket not far 

 from his house, where they expected to find a bear 

 which had robbed him of many of his pigs. I did not 

 long hesitate, cleaned my gun, loaded the left hand 

 barrel with ball and the right with buck-shot, and so 

 was ready for any thing. We had not long to wait, 

 and all mounted on horseback. We soon arrived at 



