Mooween the Bear. l(^y 



to shift for themselves. And this was perhaps their 

 first hard discipline. 



Once also I caught an old bear enjoying himself 

 in a curious way. It was one intensely hot day, in 

 the heart of a New Brunswick wilderness. Mooween 

 came out onto the lake shore and lumbered along, 

 twisting uneasily and rolling his head as if very much 

 distressed by the heat. I followed silently close behind 

 in my canoe. 



Soon he came to a cool spot under the alders, 

 which was probably what he was looking for. A 

 small brook made an eddy there, and a lot f>f drift- 

 weed had collected over a bed of soft black mud. 

 The stump of a huge cedar leaned out over it, some 

 four or five feet above the water. 



First he waded in to try the temperature. Then 

 he came out and climbed the cedar stump, where he 

 sniffed in every direction, as is his wont before lying 

 down. Satisfied at last, he balanced himself carefully 

 and gave a big jump — Oh, so aivk^wardly ! — with legs 

 out flat, and paws up, and mouth open as if he were 

 laughing at himself. Down he came, soitsc, with a 

 tremendous splash that sent mud and water flying in 

 every direction. And with a deep ^t-ff'-giiff of pure 

 delight, he settled himself in his cool bed for a com- 

 fortable nap. 



In his fondness for fish, Mooween has discovered an 



