ick followed as far as a clump of bushes at the
top of the bank below which the boat was concealed, and crouching
there witnessed Bob's flight from the bear, and was very close to him
when he fell. Dick had already drawn a bead on the animal's head, and
just at the moment Bob stumbled fired. The bear made one blind strike
with his paw and then fell forward, its momentum sending it upon Bob's
sprawling legs, Dick laughed uproariously at the boy as he extricated
himself.

"Well, now," he roared, "'twere as fine a race as I ever see--as I
_ever_ see--an' ye were handy t' winnin' but for th' tumble. A rare
fine race."

Bob was rather shamefaced, for an old hunter would scarcely have
forgotten himself to such an extent as to go bear hunting with a
partridge load in his gun, and he did not like to be laughed at.

"Anyhow," said he, "I let un have un first. An' I led un down where
you could shoot un. An' he's a good fat un," he commented kicking the
carcass.

Ed and Bill had arrived now and all hands went to work at once
skinning the bear.

"Speakin' o' bein' chased by bears," remarked Ed as they worked, "onct
I were chased pretty hard myself an' that time I come handy t' bein'
done for sure enough."

"An' how were that?" asked Bob.

"'Twere one winter an' I were tendin' my trail. I stops at noon t'
boil th' kettle, an' just has th' fire goin' fine an' th' water over
when all t' a sudden I hears a noise behind me and turnin' sees a
black bear right handy t' me--th' biggest black bear I ever seen--an'
makin' fer me. I jumps up an' grabs my gun an' lets un have it, but
wi' th' suddenness on it I misses, an' away I starts an' 'twere lucky
I has my racquets on."

"Were this in _winter_?" asked Dick.

"It _were_ in winter."

"Th' bears as _I_ knows don't travel in winter. They sleeps then,
leastways all but white bears."

"Well, this were in winter an' this bear weren't sleepin' much. As I
was sayin'----"

"An' he took after ye without bein' provoked?"

"An' he did an' right smart."

"Well he _were_ a queer bear--a _queer_ un--th' _queerest_ I ever hear
tell about. Awake in _winter_ an' takin' after folks without bein'
_provoked_. 'Tis th' first black bear _I_ ever heard tell about that
done that. I knows bears pretty well an' they alus takes tother way
about as fast as their legs 'll carry un."

"Now, if you wants me t' tell about this bear ye'll ha' t' stop
interruptin'."

"No one said as they wanted ye to