xt morning, bright and
early, they were off again. At Beren's River they stopped for dinner,
then on they sped. At the Narrows they saw a great black bear swimming
across the channel. Poor bruin got into a tight place. Some of the
boats headed him off, and when he attempted to return he found that
others were between him and the shore. His perplexity was very great
and his temper much ruffled. Soon the bullets began to whistle around
him, and these added to his trouble. A bear swims very low in the
water, and so, unless in anger he inflates his lungs and raises himself
up to growl, there is very little to fire at. The result was, in this
case, the flintlock guns did not seem to be able to pierce his skull.

Mr Ross, who could not bear to see even a bear tortured, took out his
rifle and, loading it, handed it to Big Tom, to kill the animal at once.
Big Tom took the rifle, looked at it and then at Sam, and gravely said:

"Sam ran away from his first bear, suppose he shoots his last one."

Nothing could please the reckless Sam better, and so he quickly sprang
up beside Big Tom, who at once gave him some directions about allowing
for the motion of the boat.

"Now," said Big Tom, "I will swing the boat so that his head will be
right in front of you. When I call he will raise his head, and you hit
him right between the eyes."

Quickly was the boat swung in the right position, and as from Tom's lips
there was emitted a sound like the call of another bear, the one in the
water instantly raised up his head, in a listening attitude. Instantly
the report rang out, and a dead bear lay there in the water.

"Well done, Sam!" shouted Frank and Alec, while perhaps Big Tom was the
proudest man in the boat.

The bear was hauled on board by the crew of one of the boats in the
rear. That night the men skinned the bear, and as rapidly as possible
dried the robe, which was carried home to Ireland by Sam with his other
trophies.

Thus day after day passed. Sometimes there was hardly a breath of wind,
and then the men rowed all day. A couple of days were lost on account
of strong head winds, but, on the whole, they had a fairly good trip,
for at the end of the tenth day they entered the mouth of Red River and
camped on its low, marshy shores, amid its miles of reedy morass and its
millions of mosquitoes. This was the boys' first experience of them for
the season, but it was enough for a lifetime.

"The pious villains!"