ch little trouble that he did not care to
molest any persons, and therefore kept out of the way of the hunters.

Nick Ribsam, like all boys, was fond of a gun and dog, and he did not
own either. His father had brought from Holland an old musket, used
before the country was erected into a kingdom for Louis Bonaparte, more
than eighty years ago; but when Nick rammed a charge down its dusty
throat one day, forgetful that one had been resting there for months,
and pulled trigger, it hung fire a long time; but, when it did go off,
it did so in an overwhelming fashion, bursting into a dozen pieces and
narrowly missing killing the astounded lad who discharged it.

But Nick was so anxious to own a gun, that his father bought him one on
the day he reached the age of ten years, which was shortly after
Nellie's adventure with the bear. Although the farmer was frugal in all
things, he believed it was the cheapest to buy the best, and the gun
which was placed in the hands of Nick was a breech-loader with double
barrels. It was a shot-gun, as a matter of course, for little use could
be found for a rifle in that neighborhood.

But Nick had practiced with this piece only a few weeks, when his
ambition was turned in another direction by a large, strong boy, who
hired himself out upon the farm of Mr. Marston. He was sixteen years of
age, and was named Sam Harper. His father had been a soldier in the late
war, and gave to Sam a fine breech-loading rifle, which he brought with
him when he hired out to Mr. Marston.

The lad had owned it two years, and, under the tutelage of his father,
who was wounded and living upon a pension, he became very skillful for
one of his age.

Beside this, Mr. Marston himself, as I have shown, was fond of hunting
in his early manhood, and was the owner of an excellent muzzle-loading
rifle, which was as good as when his keen eye glanced along the brown
barrel and the bullet was buried in the unsuspicious deer, so far away
as to be scarcely visible to the ordinary vision.

"If you and Sam want to hunt the bear," said the kind owner, "you are
welcome to my rifle, for you know a shot-gun ain't exactly the thing to
go hunting bears with."

"That's just what I want it for," said Nick, with sparkling eyes.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE BEAR HUNTERS.

Nothing is impossible to pluck and perseverance. That boy who is
determined to become brilliant in his studies, no matter what their
nature, or to master a diffi