Just then I saw a lone tree standing on the plain right in the course the bear was taking and it flashed upon me what to do. I will ride up between the bear and the tree, jump off, let the bear come close, and then if I miss him I will drop my gun and make for that tree. I felt I could leave the bear in a fair run for that distance. We required the food, and I wanted to kill that bear. With all my heart I wished to do this, and now I was opposite, and my horse began to shy and jump; so I uncoiled my lariat and let it drag, to make it easier to catch my horse, and, jumping from his back, I let him go; and now the bear, seeing me between him and the brush, showed the white of his teeth, put back his ears, and came at me straight. I looked at the tree, measured the distance, cocked my gun, and let him come until he almost touched the muzzle, and then fired. Fortunately my bullet went into his brain, and down he dropped at my feet, and I was for the time the proudest man in Canada. Mark my astonishment when Peter came at me vehemently in this wise: "You young rascal! what made you jump off your horse? That bear might have killed you. It was all an accident, your killing him. Your father put you in my care. If anything had happened to you, what could I say to him?" [Illustration: I KILL MY FIRST BEAR] I stood there in my folly, yet proud of it; but I saw I must change the subject, so I looked innocently up at Peter, and said, "Do you think he is fat?" Then a smile lit up Peter's face, and he said, "Fat! Why, yes; he is shaking with fat;" and jumping from his horse, he grasped his knife and laid open the brisket of the bear to verify his words, and sure enough the fat was there. And now, as the food supply was fixed for a day or two, the next question was to bring our party together. For this purpose Peter said to me, "Gallop away to the top of yonder hill and look out for our people, and when you see them, ride your horse to and fro until they see you, and when they see you and turn toward you, you can come back to me." So I galloped away to the distant hill, and presently saw our party coming over another; and riding my horse to and fro in short space, soon attracted their attention, and they diverged towards me; and when I was sure of the direction, I rode back to Peter, who had the bear skinned and cut up by this time, and when our folks came to us, we concluded to camp right there for Sunday. We could not have had a lovelier spot to dwell in for a time. Very soon we had bear ribs roasting by the fire, and bear steak frying in the pan.