120 Tue Aroostook Woops. 

with one cub leaping away out of range and for the woods 
beyond. A little disappointed, and knowing it was useless 
to follow as they had the wind from us, we were about to 
turn for the canoe when we espied another well grown cub that 
had just taken the hint of danger, making off obliquely for 
the same direction. We gave this fellow a shot that passed 
through the lower half of his heart, when he tumbled over, 
but was quickly up again and bounding away faster than 
before. We gave chase, thinking he could run but a very 
little way, slipping in another cartridge as we ran. He was 
soon out of sight in the brakes, but his snarly ba! arah! ba! 
ah! ah! gave us the right direction, and we expected every 
moment to pick up the cub and return to the canoe. At this 
time we were using a single shot rifle of light calibre and 
really was not anxious to be interviewed by big mother bruin 
under existing circumstances, but we wanted some cub steak 
and took our chances. Keeping our eyes open as we ran and 
just as we came out into another open place, we saw by the 
quickly moving brakes ahead of us that we must stand firm 
just where we were and be ready for the sure and instant 
death shot through the skull, or perhaps take a scratching, 
for the old bear, hearing the cries of the cub was coming 
straight for us as we could see by the black bounding rump 
among the tall brakes, but no sure chance good for a shot. 
When within thirty feet of us, her jaws snapping, eyes 
full of fire, and showing the whitest of teeth, she was very 
near the edge of the little grassy space in which we were 
standing. But in place of showing herself plainly to our 
view and standing up facing us, as is generally their way, thus 
giving a fair shot at the heart, or even approaching clear of 
the brakes, and halting a moment to intimidate us, with 
