64 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 



and half eaten. About eight o^clock I walked with one 

 of the men to the place ; it was a clearing of about an 

 acre and a half in extent^ surrounded on all sides by 

 dense, dark pine forests, and looked as likely a place 

 for a deed of bloodshed as any I ever saw. The dog 

 we had brought with us ran straight to the remains of 

 the steer. Bears always feed very early in the morning ; 

 however, as we were not armed, we did not stay longer 

 than was necessary for me to take a few observations 

 and lay my plan of operations for the morning. I 

 marked two or three trees the easiest to climb in case 

 of any scrimmage, and fixed upon one about twenty 

 yards from the carcase of the steer, as that from which 

 I would fire at the bear. I spent the evening cleaning 

 my Pritchett double 12, and sewed up in thin chamois 

 leather six bullets, with a little tin in them, and soaked 

 them in melted tallow. A glass of grog — "old Bourbon '' 

 — a few more stories about Ben from friend Zack, and 

 I was in dreamland. 



Next morning I woke about three, got softly up, put 

 on my clothes, took my Pritchett, unchained the dog, 

 and thought to get away without waking that nuisance 

 Zack. I hadn^t got thirty yards when, " Hullo ! say ! 

 fair show for old Ben ; no playing off on him ! fair and 

 square shuting, stranger ; mind yer.^^ I rushed off, and 

 for a quarter of a mile I could hear him shuffling after 

 me, with " fair show for old Ben, mind yer." 



My plan was to get up the tree I had fixed on^ 

 wait for the bear to come, and then let him have a 

 couple of bullets from above in his spine, which I felt 

 sure would give a good account of him. Of course I 

 calculated on being there beforehand. On getting within 

 about a hundred and fifty yards of the clearing I tied up 



