nutes
though my gun was standing against the tree within reach.

At another time I was somewhat frightened by what I supposed was a
dead bear suddenly coming to life. I had caught the bear in a trap
and it had got fastened in some saplings growing on the steep bank of
a small brook. I shot the bear in the head, as I thought, and it fell
over the bank in such a manner that his whole weight was held by the
leg that was fast in the trap. I was unable to release it from the
trap where it was hanging as I had no clamp to put the trap springs
down with, to release the bear's foot. I had set my gun, a single
barrel rifle, against a tree without reloading it.

I cut the bear's paw off close to the trap which allowed the animal
to roll down the bank to level ground. I had begun to rip down the
leg that had been caught in the trap. A lad of about ten years was
with me having accompanied me to attend the traps that day. The lad
stood looking on when all of a sudden he said, "See him wink." I
stopped my work and glanced at the bear's eyes and sure enough he was
winking and winking fast, too, and almost before I knew it the bear
was trying to get onto his feet. My gun was unloaded and the lad was
screaming at the top of his voice, "Kill him! Kill him!" But what was
I to kill him with? Nothing came to my mind at first except to use my
gun as a club but I did not like to break it.

In a moment I thought of my hatchet which I had taken from the
holster and laid on the bank where I had cut the bear's foot off to
release him from the trap. I grabbed the hatchet and one good blow on
the head put a stop to the rumpus and nobody harmed, although the boy
was badly frightened.

At another time I might have got into trouble with a bear also caught
in a trap. I was quite young at this time. I had gone some ten or
twelve miles from home and set a trap for a bear. The trap was rather
a poor one with a very light chain for a bear trap. I had only set
the trap a few days before yet I thought I must go and look after it,
but it was more the desire to be in the woods than it was of
expecting to have a bear in the trap at that time. I did not take a
gun with me, only a revolver loaded as I had no more balls and this
was before the days of fixed ammunition.

When I came to the trap there was an ugly bear in it and he had the
clog fast in some roots and among some fallen trees. After firing one
shot at the Bear's head, which I missed, I then shot