pbell and the girls.

"You need have no fear, ma'am," said Martin; "the rifles won't miss
their mark, and if they did, I have the dogs to let loose upon him; and
I think Oscar, with the help of the others, would master him.
Down--silence, Oscar--down, dogs, down. Look at the Strawberry, ma'am,
she's not afraid, she's laughing like a silver bell."

During this interval, the bear again applied to the cooler, and burned
himself as before, and this time being more angry, he now gave another
roar, and, as if considering that the joke had been played upon him by
the party who were looking on, he made directly for them at a quick run.

"Now, John," said Malachi, "get your bead well on him, right between his
eyes."

John kneeled down in front of Malachi, who had his rifle all ready; much
to the horror of Mrs. Campbell, John permitted the bear to come within
twenty yards of him. He then fired, and the animal fell dead without a
struggle.

"A good shot, and well put in," said Malachi, going up to the bear. "Let
the dogs loose, Martin, that they may worry the carcass; it will do them
good."

Martin did so; the dogs were permitted to pull and tear at the dead
animal for a few minutes, and then taken off; in the mean time, Mr.
Campbell and the ladies had come up to where the animal lay.

"Well, ma'am, isn't John a cool shot?" said Malachi, "Could the oldest
hunter have done better?"

"My dear John, you quite frightened me," said Mrs. Campbell; "why did
you allow the beast to come so near to you?"

"Because I wanted to kill him dead, and not wound him," replied John.

"To be sure," replied Malachi; "to wound a bear is worse than leaving
him alone."

"Well, Malachi, you certainly have made a hunter of John," said Mr.
Campbell. "I could not have supposed such courage and presence of mind
in one so young."

John was very much praised, as he deserved to be, by the whole party;
and then Malachi said, "The skin belongs to John, that of course."

"Is the bear good eating now?" said Mrs. Campbell.

"Not very, ma'am," replied Malachi, "for he has consumed all his fat
during the winter; but we will cut off the legs for hams, and when they
are salted and smoked with the other meat, you will acknowledge that a
bear's ham is, at all events, a dish that any one may say is good. Come,
John, where's your knife? Martin, give us a hand here, while Mr.
Campbell and the ladies go home."

CHAPTER XXXIV.

It was in the first w