THE AMERICAN LEAR. s5l 



rive at the hunting-ground, they surround as large a 

 space as they can with their company; and then con- 

 tract their circle, searching at the same time every 

 hollow tree, and every place fit for the retreat of a 

 Bear : and they continue the same practice till the 

 time of the chase is expired. 



" As soon as a Bear is killed, a hunter puts into 

 his mouth a lighted pipe of tobacco, and blowing 

 into it fills the throat with the smoke, conjuring" 

 the spirit of the animal not to resent what they arc 

 going to do to its body, nor to render their future 

 chases unsuccessfuL As the beast makes no reply, 

 they cutout the string of the tongue, and throw it 

 into the fire. If it crackles and shrivels up (which it 

 is almost sure to do), they accept it as a good 

 omen ; if not, they consider that the spirit of the 

 beast is not appeased, and that the chase of the 

 next year Vvill be unfortunate. 



'' I'he hunters live well during the chase, on 

 provisions which they bring with them. They re- 

 turn home with great pride and self-complacency : 

 for, to kill a Bear forms the character of a complete 

 man. They give a great entertainment, at which 

 they make it a point to leave nothing uneaten. The 

 feast is dedicated to a certain Genius (apparently that 

 of Gluttony) ; whose resentment they dread, if they 

 do not eat every morsel, and even sup up the melte^l 

 grease in which the meat was dressed. They some- 

 times cat till tliey burst, or bring on themselves 

 some violent disorders. The first course is, the 

 greatest Bear they have killed : without even taking 

 put the entrails, or skinning it ; contenting them- 



