on  Hearing  it  somebody  called  to  Jack  and  asked  what  luck  he  had  had
with  the  bears.  Then  followed  an  invitation  to  stop  and  partake  of  a
roasted  rabbit,  an  invitation  that  was  declined  with  the  explanation  that
they  had  just  feasted  on  the  same  delicacy.  They  halted  a  few  minutes
with  the  strangers,  who  were  seated  around  their  fire,  and  resting  after
a  hard  tramp  in  the  forest.  Their  guns  leaned  against  the  trees ;  one  of
the  men  was  watching  a  small  stewpan  that  simmered  on  the  fire,  while
another  was  smoking  his  pipe,  and  probably  wondering  how  soon  the
lunch  would  be  ready.
In  a  little  while  our  friends  continued  their  walk,  and  as  they  descended
the  mountain,  Jack  explained  to  his  companions  that  the  solemn-looking
man  over  the  stewpan  was  one  of  the  most"  famous  hunters  in  that  part
of  the  country,  and  had  probably  killed  more  bears  than  any  one  else.
THE    STRANGERS.
"Did  you  see  the  scar  beginning  on  his  nose  and  running  downward
toward  the  beard  ?"  Jack  asked.
Harry  answered  that  he  Lad  noticed  it,  but  George  bad  not  gone  as
near  to  the  fire  as  Harry,  and  therefore  had  not  seen  the  scar.
SAM'S   FIGHT   WITH  A   BEAR.
87


"  Well,"  continued  Jack,  "  that  scar  was  received  in  a  fight  with  a  bear
four  or  five  years  ago,  about  twenty  miles  from  here.  Sam — his  name
is  Sam  Brown — was  out  with  a  friend,  when  they  came  upon  a  couple  of
bears,  and  so  suddenly  that  they  were  not  ten  yards  off  when  they  saw
them.  One  bear  was  killed  at  the  first  shot;  the  other  rifle  missed  fire,
and  the  bear  that  was  not  hurt  rushed  on  the  two  men.
