bZ RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 



haps j but tlien lie liad slept in Ms clotlies^ and chawed 

 all night. 



'' Well r 



" Ony this ; you air a stranger here_, you air. Now/^ 

 said he^ " in case them bars does chaw yer, why, Fm 



^' Oh ! hang you and your bars too V^ cried I, and rode 

 on at a sharp trot. After I had gone about one hundred 

 yards,, I glanced back. There he was, looking the pic- 

 ture of astonishment, and chawing more deliberately and 

 harder than ever. 



'' Well/' I thought, ^^at all events I have got rid of all 

 the talk about these infernal bears. I'll pretty soon see 

 what the beasts themselves are made of.'' I soon found 

 I was rather mistaken. 



After about half an hour, Zack, in front : " Say !" 



" Well.^' 



"Ever shot a bar?" 



" Can't say I have." 



" Um ! that's bad." 



Long silence ; no inclination on my part to resume the 

 subject. 



After a bit, " Say !" " Well ?" " Ever seed a bar ?" 

 Here was a poser ! Never do to say I'd never seen one. 

 '• Oh, yes, lots !" Zack turned sharp round on his horse, 

 looked at me with his swivel eye : '' Where ?" Confound 

 him ! this was getting serious. " Oh, all about." Zack 

 said nothing, but I knew, by the way he looked at me, 

 he thought I was an impostor. " Ben's a 'tarnal critter," 

 he went on. " Who's Ben ?" "Ben ? He's one of the 

 bars." " Oh, indeed !" " Yes, you can bet he is ; Ben's 

 killed four men" (pleasant that, anyhow). "Sal's 

 t'other ; she's only killed three — as yet" A long silence ; 

 no inclination again on my part to resume subject. "Say." 



