BEAR HUNTING. 
27 ? 
rilous lair. Hark to that dull and stifled growl! Tlie watchers 
positively shivered, and their teeth chattered with excitement. 
There ! there ! that loud and bellowing roar, reverberated by 
the ten thousand echoes of the confined cavern, till it might have 
been taken for a burst of subterraneous thunder!—that wild 
and fearful howl—half roar of fury—half yell of mortal anguish! 
With headlong violence they hauled upon the creaking 
rope, and dragged, with terrible impetuosity, o.ut of the fearful 
cavern—his head striking the granite rocks, and his limbs fairly 
clattering against the rude projections, yet still, with gallant 
hardihood, retaining his good weapon—the sturdy woodman 
was whirled out into the open air unwounded; while the 
fierce brute within rushed after him to the very cavern’s mouth, 
raving and roaring till the solid mountain seemed to shake and 
quiver. 
“ As soon as he had entered the small chamber, he had per¬ 
ceived the glaring eyeballs of the monster; had taken his aim 
steadily between them, by the strong light of the flaring can¬ 
dles ; and, as he said, had lodged his bullets fairly—a statement 
which was verified by the long-drawn and painful moanings of 
the beast within. After a while, these dread sounds died away, 
and all w T as still as death. Then once again, undaunted by his 
previous peril, the bold man—though, as he averred, he felt the 
hot breath of the monster on his face, so nearly had it followed 
him in his precipitate retreat—prepared to beard the savage in 
his hold. Again he vanished from our sight!—again his mus¬ 
ket-shot roared like the voice of a volcano from the vitals of the 
rock !—again, at mighty peiil to his bones, he was dragged into 
daylight!—but this time, maddened with wrath and agony, 
yelling with rage and pain, streaming with gore, and white with 
foam, which flew on every side, churned from its gnashing 
tusks, the Bear rushed after him. One mighty bound brought 
it clear out of the deep chasm—the bruised trunk of the daring 
hunter, and the confused group of men who had been stationed 
at the rope, and who were now, between anxiety and terror, 
floundering to and fro, hindering one another—lay within three 
