e was a bear, going in that direction,
but that having no bullets in his pouch at the time, he did not wish to
become better acquainted with it. After each occasion he had found that
the nest had been robbed of a portion of its contents, and that from its
position the plunderer had been unable to carry off the remainder. He
was sure that the bear was the thief, and he had formed a plan for
catching it; he would then, he said, bring Uncle Denis to the spot, and
exhibit his captive. I asked him how he intended to proceed.

"Come an' see, Massa Mike. I will show you," he replied.

We accordingly went together into the wood, when he showed me a large
tree, the lower part of the trunk being hollow from age. At the higher
part of the cavity, which had an opening outside, was the bees' nest; up
this it was very evident that the bear had put his paw, but, unable to
reach higher, had to content himself with the lower portion of the comb,
which the industrious inhabitants had set to work immediately afterwards
to restore.

"But, Dio," I observed, "though the bear may possibly go into the hollow
to obtain more honey, how are you to make him stay there. As soon as he
hears your footstep he will be off, unless he is in fighting humour, in
which case we shall be compelled to shoot him to prevent him injuring
us."

"Wait 'bit, massa, you see some day," answered Dio.

Whether the bear was fond of honey, we had soon evidence that he or some
other animal was of our pigs and poultry. One night a tremendous
cackling was heard in the poultry-yard. The next morning it was
discovered that a fat turkey, captured by Uncle Denis, and a couple of
ducks, were carried off, and during the next night we were aroused by
several piercing squeaks, and afterwards found that one of our porkers
had disappeared.

We watched for several following nights, but if Master Bruin had been
the depredator, he was too wary to repeat his visits. As he would not
come to us to be shot, we searched for him in all directions among the
neighbouring rocks, where, in some hitherto undiscovered cave, it was
thought probable he had his abode. No traces of him, however, could we
discover. Dio during this time was not idle. I inquired whether the
bear had again robbed the bees.

"No, he not come back yet, but he soon come, an' den you see," he
answered, looking very mysterious.

At length, one evening, I met him running towards the house in a state
of great