we may shoot the creature." He heard me,
and cried out, "No shoot, no shoot; stand still, and you get much
laugh:" and as the nimble creature ran two feet for the bear's one, he
turned on a sudden, on one side of us, and seeing a great oak tree fit
for his purpose, he beckoned to us to follow; and doubling his pace, he
gets nimbly up the tree, laying his gun down upon the ground, at about
five or six yards from the bottom of the tree. The bear soon came to the
tree, and we followed at a distance: the first thing he did, he stopped
at the gun, smelt to it, but let it lie, and up he scrambles into the
tree, climbing like a cat, though so monstrous heavy. I was amazed at
the folly, as I thought it, of my man, and could not for my life see any
thing to laugh at yet, till seeing the bear get up the tree, we all rode
near to him.

When we came to the tree, there was Friday got out to the small end of a
large branch, and the bear got about half way to him. As soon as the
bear got out to that part where the limb of the tree was weaker,--"Ha!"
says he to us, "now you see me teachee the bear dance:" so he falls a
jumping and shaking the bough, at which the bear began to totter, but
stood still, and began to look behind him, to see how he should get
back; then, indeed, we did laugh heartily. But Friday had not done with
him by a great deal; when seeing him stand still, he calls out to him
again, as if he had supposed the bear could speak English, "What, you
come no farther? pray you come farther:" so he left jumping and shaking
the tree; and the bear, just as if he understood what he said, did come
a little farther; then he fell a jumping again, and the bear stopped
again. We thought now was a good time to knock him in the head, and
called to Friday to stand still, and we would shoot the bear: but he
cried out earnestly, "O pray! O pray! no shoot, me shoot by and then;"
he would have said by and by. However, to shorten the story, Friday
danced so much, and the bear stood so ticklish, that we had laughing
enough, but still could not imagine what the fellow would do: for first
we thought he depended upon shaking the bear off; and we found the bear
was too cunning for that too; for he would not go out far enough to be
thrown down, but clings fast with his great broad claws and feet, so
that we could not imagine what would be the end of it, and what the jest
would be at last. But Friday put us out of doubt quickly: for seeing the
bear