94 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



tion was engaged by the dogs, force the fork against the 

 back of his neck, and pin him to the ground, until the rest 

 could secure him. This caused much diversion to the com- 

 pany, as well from the singularity of the plan, as the sincere 

 manner in which it was spoken by J — . He, however, 

 nothing discouraged at their mirth, procured his pole, and, 

 with great gravity, proceeded towards executing his plan. 

 Confident of success, he approached the Bear with much 

 caution, who heeded nothing but his antagonists in front, 

 and was not aware of his new enemy. J — succeeded in 

 reaching the log, on which he mounted, immediately over 

 the Bear, and in the very spot he desired to stand; thus 

 prepared, he made a push at the back of the Bear's neck, 

 with his forked pole, thinking that, so soon as his antago- 

 nist felt the pressure, he would counteract it by resistance, 

 and therefore inclined the whole force of his body in that 

 direction; during this time nothing could exceed the mirth 

 of the party, the soberness with which the Bear defended 

 himself, in his upright posture, and the ludicrous appear- 

 ance of J — , when about yoking the Bear, created a scene 

 of laughter not easily to be described ; while some, unable 

 to give vent sufficiently to their merriment, laid down and 

 rolled about in the snow. Bruin, himself, was up to a thing 

 or two, and envious of their mirth at his expense, conclu- 

 ded to turn the joke upon his antagonist, for, just at the 

 moment when J — pressed with all his force against him, 

 instead of resisting the push, threw himself forward, which 

 brought J — from his equilibrium, and tumbled him over 

 the Bear's head, and before he could make another spring. 

 Bruin made fair play at his breech, with a blow so well 

 directed as to remove the seat of his pantaloons completely, 

 and then gave chase with open jaws: this was too much for 

 the risible faculties of the party, who, being completely 

 overcome, were rolling in the snow, convulsed with laugh- 

 ter, and entirely heedless of the situation in which J — was 

 placed, for the Bear was close at his heels, for forty yards, 

 and would inevitably have caught him, had it not been for 

 the old dog, which rushed on and seized the Bear, and 

 brought him to a stand. J — , too, could not help joining 

 in the general mirth, occasioned by his defeat, altliough 

 pursued, by his inveterate enemy, with a determined spirit 

 of revenge, in despite of his white flag, streaming from 

 behind. This plan having failed, we procured a small sap- 

 ling, and whilst the battle was raging, placed it across the 

 Bear's back, and, by our weight, pressed him to the earth, 

 when, we succeeded in tying his legs together by withes; 

 we also secured his mouth, for fear that, when ascending 

 or descending hills, he probably would slide along the pole 

 and bite us; having him perfectly secured, we carried him 

 by passing a pole through his legs, to our homes, as a sight 

 to our families, and a trophy of our perseverance. When 



their curiosity was satisfied, we concluded to take a social 

 glass, and try the effect of rum on Bruin; to treat him with 

 a drink we thought no more than fair, after his rough usage, 

 and accordingly poured down his throat a gill of old New 

 England, when he also, like many others, showed a fond- 

 ness for the cretitr, and began to lick his chops for more. 

 We then cut the withes from his legs, to see what effect the 

 liquor produced on him; he soon began to show signs 

 of beastly intoxication, as he would shut his eyes, fold 

 himself up, and appear to sleep, but, on touching him 

 with a stick, he would rise, make a jump as far as he 

 could, but no sooner touch the ground than he would 

 lie down and fall to sleep again. We finally put an 

 end to his existence, and distributed his remains among 

 the company; in all probability, we should have kept 

 him alive, had it not been for the loss of his fore-paw, 

 as this was the only injury he had received, being 

 scarcely hurt by the dogs; and it may be worth sta- 

 ting, that old Bears, when fat, and in a wild state, seldom 

 suffer much from dogs, even if numerous. In consequence 

 of the length of their fur, and quantity of fat, the dogs 

 cannot press their teeth into the Bear's flesh, and the ex- 

 tent of suffering on the Bear's part, is only a little worri- 

 ment from which they soon relieve themselves by climbing 

 a tree. 



February 21, 1S31. W. W. 



HUNTING IN INDIA. 



Of all the pleasant modes of travelling in the East, that 

 of riding leisurely in the cool season over your ground, and 

 making diversions to the right or left — as the country seems 

 likely to promise sport — is the most so. Your tent is 

 pitched under some wide-spreading banian tree, or in the 

 midst of a cool grove of mangoes; where it is delicious to 

 repose during the heat of the day — extended luxuriously 

 upon a sofa, when all around are sunk to rest; to smoke a 

 manilla cheroot, and with eyes half-shut to ej:hale the fra- 

 grant clouds, and /«hale the cool breeze, which steals 

 through the open doors of the tent. Your dogs seem to 

 enjoy it as much as yourself; they stretch, and yawn, and 

 sigh, and, looking up in your face, beat the ground with 

 their tales with every demonstration of extreme canine lux- 

 ury ; now and then snapping at the mosquitoes that buzz 

 about the tent, and doubtless dreaming of the summer-flies 

 of their own dear land. 



I love dogs as much as horses; witliout them I really do 

 not see how the world could go on. When the sun declines, 

 you put on your straw hat and shoes, and stroll forth into 



