Bears, Chapters I-III [pp. 33-50]

1887.1 13ears. 37
smaller traps were fastened to some root or other,-until, for a moment, I was as if in
sapling as was the most convenient. the midst of a flood of tumbling waters; and
I felt too worn the next morning to go before I realized what to do, not a deer was in
with Jack or Charley along any line of the sight. When all was over, the dog looked altraps; and so, at their suggestion, I took one most as disappointed as I felt; but, neverof the dogs and my rifle, and went on the theless, with ardor seemingly but slightly
hill, above the cabin, to look for deer. abated, he renewed, along with me, the hunt.
Charley, before I set out, cautioned me After some hours, he again evinced the
strictly to always be sure of what I was symptoms that I now knew betokened proxshooting at; saying that a visitor from the imity to game; and, looking carefully around,
city, a short time before, had mistaken I saw a deer uneasily regarding me, some
him for a bear. They had started out hunt- sixty paces away. To bring my rifle to my
ing together, but had separated, agreeing to shoulder and fire was the act of a moment
meet again at a certain place. Charley -and away went the deer. The dog now
reached the rendezvous first, killing a deer looked me in the face with evident disgust;
meantime near the spot, over which he was and after we had examined the deer's tracks
bent, engaged in skinning it, when the city and he had smelt no blood, he started
gentleman came up and shot at him. Charley towards home. I called to him to come
said the danger was not so very imminent; back, but he only dropped his tail and
but then it was a bad plan to be always broke into a cowering run. When I returnshooting through the woods, as it tended to ed to "camp," he showed utter indifference
scare away game, and he didn't therefore, to me, other than to watch me closely and
like to hunt with such chaps. Jack said to slink from my approach; nor until long
that he "`lowed, taking it up on one side afterwards would he willingly accompany
and down t'other, the feller wasn't so thun- me on a hunt.
deringly mistaken arter all;" but Charley im- When I told of my poor success that evenmediately suppressed him with, "Be care- ing, Small was disposed to take it, and the
ful, old mammoth, how you try to trip the disfavor I had found with the dog, with
light fantastic toe in the dizzy mazes of the serious commiseration, but Charley only
humorous. You become it as naturally as a laughed uproariously.
hear does a ballad." Some days later, I went with Charley
The dog that I took with me could be along one line of the traps, not carrying my
sent across a stream or other difficult ground gun. In truth, I had thus early begun to
by himself to look at traps, and he would care less for hunting than for listless lovebark and so give warning if an animal was making with Nature. Charley asked me
caught, but otherwise never molest the several times on the way what I would do
traps. He had at first now to be led, but without a gun in case we had caught a bear,
soon he showed an interest in the hunt, and and I replied that I would kill the bear with
I turned him loose. Ever snuffing the my pocket-knife. When we came to where
ground and the breeze, his eye actively the bear trap had been set, it was not there;
glancing around, and his ears attentive to and Charley, after looking closely at all
every sound, he walked a few steps in ad- markings, fumed to me as though blankly
vance of me. A certain suppressed excite- realizing the situation, saying, "It's gone!"
ment that he showed shortly made me aware "I'd give`a thousand dollars now for my
some wild animal was near, -and suddenly Winchester," said I.
springing through the bushy openings, came Charley reached his gun toward me with
a splendid deer, and then another, and an- one word-" Here."