358 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
interposition of Hays. He, by a great exertion of his 
remarkable self-command, so far recovered as to be able to 
send a ball through its head, which brought it to the ground. 
There were now four bears in sight, who were making for 
the Knobs, and seeing that the Doctor was safe, without. 
pausing, we all swept by in headlong career, to arrest these 
fellows before they left the plain. The last I saw of the 
Doctor for many a day, he was dangling from the end of that 
live oak limb, in the act of driving his spear into the body 
of the wounded bear, while pony, with his ears laid back, 
was kicking most vehemently at its writhing body! 
The intensity of individual excitement was all now given 
to the chase. Our party had broken up into four groups, 
each of which had selected for pursuit one of the unwieldy 
brutes, who were getting over the ground with astonishing 
speed in a direct line for the Knobs. We pushed them se 
hard, though, that instead of attempting to ascend the ridges, 
they all diverged into some one of the narrow valleys I have 
spoken of. It happened that a young Virginian and myself 
had selected the same animal, and, before we entered the 
gorge, up which he ran, all the others of the party had 
disappeared into gorges of the same character, which led 
them to the opposite sides of the ridges. I now began to 
notice, for the first time, that there was trouble brewing with 
my horse. He had caught scent of the bear, and seemed to 
be terribly alarmed, snorting and bouncing up from the 
ground with a short, stiff spring, that almost jerked me out of 
my seat. Though his natural action was fully as great as 
that of the Virginian’s horse, yet he, somehow or other, 
contrived not to get over much ground, and would not keep 
up. His manceuvres made me feel a little curious, though I 
am, and was then, a practical horseman. 
I saw my companion closing upon the bear, which suddenly 
diverged from the valley, up the hill, and lost sight of both 
bel:ind an immense live oak hung to the very ground with 
