s
fire had effectually suffocated him.

"I am afraid that he will not become an inhabitant of my menagerie,"
said Uncle Denis, laughing, "and I doubt, if we had caught him alive,
that he would have proved amenable to my instruction."

Lest the bear should recover at an inconvenient moment, we put a shot
through his head, and then proceeded to cut him up, that we might carry
home the flesh, which was likely to prove very acceptable at the farm.

It was one of the largest of the she-bears of the brown species I ever
met with, and, though not so fierce as the grizzly, would have proved a
formidable antagonist had it been encountered when hard pressed by
hunger.

The smoke which had killed the bear had also suffocated the bees, and
Dan and I, climbing up, secured the remainder of the comb which Bruin
had left.

"We shall probably find Dame Bruin's cubs somewhere or other, if we
follow up her trail," observed Uncle Denis, as we were employed in
cutting up the bear. "Though she would have proved a difficult subject
to tame, we may have more hope of succeeding with them." As soon as the
operation was performed, and we had hung up the meat to the bough of a
tree--a necessary precaution in that region--we set off to look for the
cubs. The animal, not having the instinct of the red man, had left a
clearly marked trail as she made her way through the forest. Guided by
the marks of the grass trampled down, boughs bent aside, and twigs
broken off, we had no difficulty in following it up, though it continued
for a far greater distance than we had expected. It led us towards a
rocky spur of the mountain, mostly covered with trees and thick
brushwood, so that we could see but a short distance ahead.

"Take care, massa, p'r'aps he b'ar dare lookin' after de pickaninnies,
so, if he come out, better be ready to shoot him," observed Dio.

"We'll soon make him show himself," answered Uncle Denis, and he called
to our dogs, who had obediently followed at our heels, to range ahead.
Off they started, delighted with the duty entrusted to them. After
ranging backwards and forwards, occasionally showing themselves amid the
brushwood, their loud barks and yelps convinced us that they had found
either the young bears or some other animal. We made our way towards
the spot from whence the sounds proceeded, with our guns ready should we
discover any formidable antagonist. As we got up we saw the shaggy
tails of our dogs wagging vehemen