"This way, gentlemen!" said a quiet voice, "here's the bear!" The voice was A--'s; and we all, without thinking of the horses, hurried up to the spot. Sure enough, there lay the great brute, a red stream oozing out of a bullet-hole in his ribs. A-- pointed to a tree--a huge oak that spread out above our heads. "There he was, in yonder fork," said he. "We might have saved ourselves a good deal of trouble had we been more thoughtful. I suspected he was not in the log when the smoke failed to move him. The brute was too sagacious to hide there. It is not the first time I have known the hunter foiled by such a trick." The eyes of Redwood were turned admiringly on the speaker, and even old Ike could not help acknowledging his superior hunter-craft. "Mister," he muttered, "I guess you'd make a darned fust-rate mountain-man. He's a gone Injun when you look through sights." All of us were examining the huge carcass of the bear--one of the largest size. "Your sure it's no grizzly?" inquired the doctor. "No, doctor," replied the naturalist, "the grizzly never climbs a tree." CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. THE BLACK BEAR OF AMERICA. After some time spent in recovering the horses, we lifted the bear into Jake's waggon, and proceeded on our journey. It was near evening, however, and we soon after halted and formed camp. The bear was skinned in a trice,--Ike and Redwood performing this operation with the dexterity of a pair of butchers; of course "bear-meat" was the principal dish for supper; and although some may think this rather a savage feast, I envy those who are in the way of a bear-ham now. Of course for that evening nothing was talked of but Bruin, and a good many anecdotes were related about the beast. With the exception of the doctor, Jake and Lanty, all of us had something to say upon that subject, for all the rest had more or less practice in bear-hunting. The black or "American bear" (_Ursus Americanus_) is one of the best-known of his tribe. It is he that is oftenest seen in menageries and zoological gardens, for the reason, perhaps, that he is found in great plenty in a country of large commercial intercourse with other nations. Hence he is more frequently captured and exported to all parts.