THE BEAR. 



very rapid progress ; and when endeavoring to 

 escape, or wbgi aroused to wratti, a good horse 

 cannot outstrip him in speed for a short distance. 



It is only the female Bear that makes her win- 

 - ter lodging in the upper parts of trees, a practice 

 by which her young are secured from the attacks 

 of Wolves and other animals. She brings forth 

 in the winter season, and remains in her lodge till 

 the cubs have gained some strength. The male 

 always lodges in the ground, under the roots of 

 trees. He takes to liis habitation as soon as the 

 snow falls, and remains till it has disappeared. 



Some of the North American Indians accom- 

 pany bear-hunting with curious ceremonies. A 

 traveler says : 



" In January I observed a big pine tree much 

 torn by the claws of Bears going, up and down. 

 At last I found an opening near the top. From 

 these marks, and from the additional circum- 

 stance that there were no tracks in the snow, 

 there was reason to believe that a Bear lay con- 

 cealed in the tree. 



" On returning to the lodge I communicated 

 my discovery ; and it was agreed that all the 

 family should go together in the morning, to as- 

 sist in cutting down the tree, the girth of which 

 was not less than three fathoms. The women at 

 first opposed the undertaking, because our axes, 

 being only a pound and a half weight, were not 

 well adapted to so heavy a labor : but the hope 

 of finding a' large Bear, and obtaining from its fat 

 a great quantity of oil, an article at the time 

 much wanted, at length prevailed. 



" Accordingly, in the morning, we surrounded 

 the tree, both men and women, as many at a 

 time as could convieniently work at it, and there 

 we toiled like Beavers till the sun went down. 

 This day's work carried us about half-way through 

 the trunk ; and the next morning we renewed the 



attack, continuing till about two o'clock in the 

 afternoon, when the tree fell to the ground. For 

 a few minutes everything remained quiet, and I 

 feared that all our expectations would be disap- 

 pointed : but, as I advanced to the opening, there 

 came out, to the great satisfaction of all our p&rty, 

 a Bear of extraordinary size, which I shot. 



" The Bear being dead, all my assistants ap- 

 proached, and all, but particularly my old mother 

 (as I was wont to call her), took, the head in 

 their hands, stroking it and kissing it several 

 times, begging a thousand pardons for taking 

 away her life ; calling her their relation and 

 grandmotlier, and requesting her not to lay the 

 fault upon them, since it was truly an English- 

 man that had put iier to death. This ceremony 

 was not of long duration, Mid if it was I that 

 killed their grandmother, they were not them- 

 selves behindhand in what remained to be per- 

 formed. 



" The skin being taken off, we found the fat in 

 several places six inches deep." This being di- 

 vided into two parts loaded two persons ; and the 

 flesh parts were as much as Tour persons could 

 carry. In all, the carcass must have exceeded 

 five hundred- weight. As soon as we reached the 

 lodge, the Bear's head was adorned with all the 

 trinkets in the possession of the family, such as 

 silver arm-bands and wrist-bands, and belts of 

 wampum, and then laid upon a scaffold set up 

 for its reception within the lodge. Near the 

 nose was placed a large quantity of tobacco. 



" The next morning no sooner appeared than 

 preparations were made for a feast to the manes. 

 The lodge was cleaned and swept ; and the head 

 of the Bear lifted up and a new Stroud blanket, 

 which had never been used before spread under 

 it. The pipes were now lit, and Wawatam blew 

 tobacco-smoke into tlie nostrils of the Bear, tell- 



