s a nail!

They no longer wondered that he had paid no heed to the punching of the
pole. The bullet of Alexis had traversed his huge body in a
longitudinal direction, until it had lodged in a vital part, and, of
course, it was this that had deprived him of life. He would, therefore,
have died all the same, and in his tree-den, too, whether they had
pursued him or not.

Our hunters learnt from their negro assistants a singular fact in
relation to the black bear: and that is, that the tree-cavity in which
the animal often takes shelter, or goes to sleep, is rarely of greater
width than his own body! In most cases it is so narrow, that he cannot
turn round in it, nor has it any lair at the bottom wide enough for him
to lie down upon. It follows, therefore, that he must sleep in a
standing position, or squatted upon his hams. It is in this attitude he
makes his descent into the cavity, and in the same way comes down the
trunk of the tree, when at any time making his departure from his den.
From this it would appear that the upright attitude is as natural to
this animal, as that of resting on all-fours, or even lying prostrate on
the ground; for it is well-known that, farther to the north--where the
winters are more severe, and where the black bear hybernates for a short
season--he often takes his nap in a tree-cavity, which his body
completely fills, without the possibility of his turning round in it!
One precaution he takes, and that is, to scrape off all the rotten wood
around the sides of the cavity; but for what purpose he exercises this
curious instinct, neither hunter nor naturalist can tell. Perhaps it is
that the projections may not press against his body, and thus render his
couch uncomfortable?

Our young hunters found this bear one of the largest of his species, and
his skin, after the mud had been washed off, proved to be an excellent
specimen.

Of course, they coveted no other; but for all that, they had the
pleasure of being present at the death of several bears, killed in the
great hunt that came off on the appointed day.

A deer-chase was also got up for their special entertainment--during
which a cougar was "treed" and killed--an event of rarer occurrence than
even the death of a bear; for the cougar is now one of the scarcest
quadrupeds to be met with in the forests of North America.

Another entertainment which the planter provided for his guests was a
"_barbecue_"--a species of festival pecu