When he is caught and tamed, he is still very playful at times. He will do all sorts of funny tricks, all by himself; and if he sees anyone watching him, he will try to show how clever he is--just like a child playing "smarty!" Once in a lumber camp in the West the men caught and tamed a black bear. After a time the bear was allowed to walk about the camp, quite free, as he did not think of running away. One day the men had stopped work to have their dinner. The bear walked by, and the men petted him and said nice things to him. Then what do you think happened! The bear felt so proud of being praised that he went to a sloping log, and walked along it right to the top. You must know that in a lumber camp there are lots and lots of huge logs, or trees which the men have cut down. And one of these logs happened to rest on a slope, that is, with one end higher than the other. When the bear reached the top of the log, he sat across it. Then he held on to the log with his front paws, bent his body, and slid down the log--just as a boy slides down the banister! Of course the men laughed, and cheered him. Then just guess what that bear did! He walked up to the top of the log again, and sat across it, as before. But now he held on to the log with his knees, not his paws, and sat straight up without bending, and slid down the log in that way--just as a boy might hold on to the banister with his knees, not using his hands at all, and slide down the banister in that way, just to show how smart he could be! You may be sure those men cheered the bear, and gave him lots to eat. There is another kind of black bear that is also funny, though in another way. He is called the _Himalayan black bear_, because he lives in India near some huge mountains called the Himalayas. In many ways he is very much like the black bear of America, but he has a _white chin_ and _long side-whiskers on his jaws_. Some people think that of all kinds of bears he is the most handsome. Although he often goes up very high on the side of the mountains, he sometimes comes down to the country below, where there are many villages. But the bear is quite friendly, and never hurts the people in the villages, although he is strong enough to kill a man. So the people are also very kind and friendly to him, and never try to hurt him. When you grow up you may read that there are some people in India who are always kind to _all_ animals, tame or wild.[2] [Footnote 2: _To the Teacher._--Please explain to the class that the sect called Jains do not hurt the smallest creature, and will suffer the sting of a wasp rather than kill it.] [Illustration: Himalayan Black Bear]