850 A DANGEROUS PASS.

coming backward till he got into the body of the tree. Then with
the same hinder end foremost, he comes down the tree, grasping it
with his claws, and moving one foot at a time, very leisurely. At
this juncture, and just before he could set his hind feet upon the
ground, Friday stepped up close to him, clapped the muzzle of his
piece into his ear, and shot him dead as a stone.

Then the rogue turned about to see if we did not laugh, and
when he saw we were pleased by our looks, he falls a laughing
himself very loud. “ So we kill bear in my country,” says Friday.
“ So you kill them!” says I. ‘Why, you have no guns.” “ No,”
says he; “no gun, but shoot, great much long arrow.

This was indeed a good diversion to us; but we were still in a
wild place, and our guide very much hurt, and what to do we
hardly knew. The howling of wolves ran much in my head; and
indeed, except the noise I once heard on the shore of Africa, of
which I have said something already, I never heard anything that
filled me with so much horror.

These things and the approach of night called us off, or else, as
Friday would have had us, we should certainly have taken the
skin of this monstrous creature off, which was worth saving; but
we had three leagues to go, and our guide hastencd us, so we left
him, and went forward on our journey.

The ground was still covered with snow, though not so deep
and dangerous as on the mountains; and the ravenous creatures,
as we heard afterwards, were come down to the forest and plain
country, pressed by hunger to seek for food; and had done a great
deal of mischief in the villages, where they surprised the country
people, killed a great many of their sheep and horses, and some
people too.

We had one dangerous place to pass, which our guide told us,
if there were any more wolves in the country, we should find them
there; and this was in a small plain surrounded with woods on
every side, and a long narrow defile- or lane, which we were to
pass to get through the wood, and then we should come to the
village where we were to lodge.

It was within half an hour of sunset when we entered the first
wood, and a little after sunset when we came into the plain. We