136 EVERYDAY ADVENTURES 
patriot arms. It was Uncle Jake who made General 
Putnam get off his horse into the mud and give the 
countersign. It was Uncle Jake who shot the Hes- 
sian who used to stand on an earthwork and make 
insulting gestures every morning toward the Con- 
tinental camp. It was Uncle Jake again who, when he 
was captured, broke his way out of the Hulks, and 
swam ashore one stormy night. To-day the Captain 
had bethought himself of a rather unusual experi- 
ence which Uncle Jake once had while hunting bears. 
“Tt was during a February thaw,” he began. 
“Uncle Jake was coming down Pond Hill, when he 
stepped into a mushy place back of a patch of 
bushes, and sank in up to his waist. He felt some- 
thing soft under his feet and stamped down hard. 
A second later,’’ continued the Captain impressively, 
“he wished he hadn’t. Something rose right up 
underneath him, and the next thing poor old Uncle 
Jake knew, he was astride a big black bear, going 
down hill like mad — riding bear-back as it were. 
You see,” went on the Captain hurriedly, “‘Uncle 
Jake had stepped into a bear-hole and waked up a 
bear by stamping on his back. He was in a bad fix. 
He did n’t want to stay on and he didn’t dare to 
get off. So what do you suppose he did?”’ 
“Rode him up a tree,” hazarded Henny-Penny. 
“No,” said the Captain. “‘He stuck on until 
they got to level ground. Then Uncle Jake drew his 
hunting-knife and stabbed the old bear dead right 
through his neck, and afterwards made an overcoat 
out of its skin.” 
