BEARS IN TROUBLE. 289 
house, where the owner was waitirg our arrival. 
There were now three of us armed with guns, 
half a dozen servants, and a good pack of dogs 
ef all kinds. We jogged on towards the de 
jtached field in which the bears were at work. 
The owner told us that for some days several 
of these animals had visited his corn, and that 
a negro who was sent every afternoon to see at 
what part of the enclosure they entered, had 
assured him there were at least five in the field 
that night. A plan of attack was formed: the 
bars at the usual entrance of the field were to 
be put down without noise; the men and dogs 
were to divide, and afterwards proceed so as to 
surround the bears, when, at the sounding of 
our horns, every one was to charge towards the 
centre of the field, and shout as loudly as pos- 
sible, which it was judged would so intimidate 
the animals as to induce them to seek refuge 
upon the dead trees with which the field was 
still partially covered. 
The plan succeeded: the horns aan the 
horses galloped forward, the men shouted, the 
dogs barked and howled. The shrieks of the 
negroes were enough to frighten a legion of 
bears, and by the time we reached the middle 
of the field we found that several had mounted 
the trees, and having lighted fires, we now saw 
them crouchel at the junction of the larger 
8 ie 
