BEAR WITH SPECTACLES. 127

right foot resting on it, was the shaggy
little beast we were hunting for. We had
found our bear, or rather, he had found us,
and it was clear that he meant to come
over and interview us at once.

The preacher crouched behind me as I
cocked and raised my gun, the blacks hid
behind the preacher, and I think, though
I had not time to see certainly, that the
dogs hid behind the blacks.

I fired at the dim white spot on the bear’s
breast and sent shot after shot into his
tattered coat, for he was not ten lengths
of an old Kentucky ramrod distant, and
he fell dead where he stood, and I went
over and dragged him safely up on the
higher bank.

Then the wild blacks danced and sang
and sang and danced, till one of them
slipped and fell into the lagoon. They
fished him out and all returned to where
I was, with the dead bear, dogs and all in
great. good spirits. Tying the bear’s feet
together with a withe they strung him on