iming that they were close upon the
game; and at last Sam was sure they were down on the lower runway and,
turning to Leon in great excitement, he said, "Let's keep cool and we
can kill this deer! Then won't Herb be sorry he went further up?" Both
boys felt sure there must be a deer coming, although they had been told
that the hounds often came in without anything.

At last they could hear the brush crackling--yes, the hounds were surely
down on their runway; and in a minute the dogs and game did come in
sight together. But what a surprised pair of huntsmen they were when
they saw what the game was! Leon was frightened, while even Sam felt a
little uneasy. The hounds had not started a deer at all. Instead they
were pursuing an old bear, and two young cubs about the size of a large
dog. The old bear was very large and fierce, and whenever the hounds
came up with the cubs, that could not run very fast, she would turn
around and fight until the cubs ran on a few rods and then she would run
again.

Just as the bear and cubs reached the watching place there was a fight,
and the great creature caught one of the hounds and hugged him in her
arms till he was breathless, all the time sitting up on her hind legs
and looking as tall as a man. While she was in this position Sam took
aim at her head and fired, and a moment later Leon fired too. Then the
bear started to run, and they both fired the other barrel of their
shot-guns, though without taking much aim, but a moment after they saw
her lying on the ground, surrounded by the pack.

By this time Herbert and the landlord had come down in hot haste to see
what the shooting was for, and in great surprise they gathered around
the huge creature which the boys had secured. Leon and Sam had really
killed a bear, a genuine black bear, a large one too--the landlord said
the largest he had seen that year; and there were never two prouder
fellows than these two schoolboys, as they surveyed their noble game.

But this was not all. The hounds were sent after the cubs, and in a few
minutes they were caught alive. They were taken to the hotel and caged.
Very quiet animals they were; in a few days they would eat from the
boys' hands, as tame as the fawns in the park, never trying to bite or
showing any crossness. With these pets and with their fine bear skin to
show, it is no wonder that the boys thought there was never a pleasanter
place than the hotel in the mountains; and it is not at al