202 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
long, mellow wail of the driver’s horn, both showing the game 
was on foot; yet neither of us rose, even, so entirely had we 
become cloyed of this sport! Soon the full chorus of hounds 
burst upon us, seemingly close at hand, still neither of us 
rose. Suddenly we heard a heavy crashing through the under- 
brush, and before we had time to think, an enormous black 
bear rushed past us. 
“Hah! new game!” I exclaimed, as we both sprang to 
our feet and fired our rifles after the unwieldy brute. It 
was evidently hit, but kept on with undiminished speed across 
the ridge. The dogs, with "bristles erect, and savage yells, 
came pouring after, while we, thus unexpectedly aroused to 
the wildest excitement, shouted like madmen as we followed 
after on foot, loading our guns while we ran. We knew the 
bear was wounded, and would take to the first large tree it 
came to. The comb of the ridge was about a quarter of a 
mile wide here, and the ground a general level. We heard 
the dogs baying furiously now. 
“ He’s tree’d already !” chuckled Charlie. “ Let’s approach 
cautiously.” 
We feared it might resort to its common trick - when 
tree’d by the dogs ;—seeing the hunters approach,—it rolls 
itself up into a ball, and dropping to the ground, makes off 
again. We, however, managed to get fair shots, and brought 
it down. It was a very large animal of the species, and we 
wound a merry blast, both loud and long, in honor of our 
unexpected triumph. We supposed that the sound of the 
guns and the recall of the horns would, of course, bring our 
faithful esquire, Jabe, to us. After listening for some time, 
and no answer, Charlie gave another louder and longer blast, 
with all the power of his lungs, and receiving no answer still, 
sent out his prodigious voice over the valley, with a force 
that filled it with reverberations. After listening a moment 
we could barely distinguish a feeble “ too-oot! toot!” that 
seemed to come from no great distance, but what the direction 
