is
trail-rope, and was snorting and plunging with affright.

This new dilemma arrested me, and I stood with anxious feelings to watch
the result. I had no hope of being able to yield the slightest aid to
my poor horse--at least none occurred to me at the moment.

The bear made directly towards him, and my heart throbbed wildly as I
saw the brute approach almost within clawing distance. The horse sprang
round, however, and galloped upon a circle of which the lazo was the
radius. I knew, from the hard jerks he had already given to the rope,
that there was no chance of its yielding and freeing him. No; it was a
raw-hide lazo of the toughest thong. I knew its power, and I remembered
how firmly I had driven home the picket-pin. This I now regretted.
What would I have given to have been able at that moment to draw the
blade of my knife across that rope!

I continued to watch the struggle with a painful feeling of suspense.
The horse still kept out of the bear's reach by galloping round the
circumference of the circle, while the boar made his attacks by crossing
its chords, or running in circles of lesser diameter. The whole scene
bore a resemblance to an act at the Hippodrome, Moro being the steed,
and the bear taking the part of the ring-master!

Once or twice, the rope circling round, and quite taut, caught upon the
legs of the bear, and, after carrying him along with it for some
distance, flung him over upon his back. This seemed to add to his rage,
since, after recovering his legs again, he ran after the horse with
redoubled fury. I could have been amused at the singular spectacle, but
that my mind was too painfully agitated about the result.

The scene continued for some minutes without much change in the relative
position of the actors. I began to hope that the bear might be baffled
after all, and finding the horse too nimble for him, might desist from
his attacks, particularly as the horse had already administered to him
several kicks that would have discomfited any other assailant. These,
however, only rendered the brute more savage and vengeful.

Just at this time the scene assumed a new phase, likely to bring about
the _denouement_. The rope had once more pressed against the bear; but
this time, instead of trying to avoid it, he seized it in his teeth and
paws. I thought at first he was going to cut it, and this was exactly
what I wished for; but no--to my consternation I saw that he was
crawling