Indians of North America -- Juvenile fiction; Pioneers -- West (U.S.) -- Juvenile fiction; Slavery -- Juvenile fiction
On examining our traps for the first time, we found each had caught a
beaver, some by the legs, others by their noses. The latter were
drowned, as even a beaver cannot remain beyond a certain time under
water, but I must own I felt compunction when I witnessed the struggles
of the other poor creatures to free themselves, though they were put out
of their pain as soon as possible by a blow on the head. Resetting the
traps, we returned to camp to take off the skins and dress them. We
dined on the meat, which we agreed resembled flabby pork. Mr Tidey,
however, undertook to provide better fare the next day. I accompanied
him while the rest of the party went back to look after the traps. We
had killed a deer, and had loaded ourselves with as much venison as we
could carry, intending to return for the remainder, when Mr Tidey fired
at a turkey, for the sake of having a variety for our dinner. At that
instant a huge grizzly she-bear rose up from behind a thicket, and
before he could reload, charged right at him. I was too far off to fire
with any certainty of hitting the animal. Fortunately, close to Mr
Tidey was a large clump of rose bushes, behind which he immediately
sprang, when the bear, missing him, rose up on her hind-legs, and,
looking about, came towards me. I knelt to receive her, knowing that,
were I to run, I should be overtaken and destroyed. She was within
thirty yards when Mr Tidey, having reloaded, fired and hit her on the
back. She stopped and began to turn round and round, snapping at her
side and tearing at the wound with her teeth and claws. Expecting to
gain an easy victory I advanced a few paces and fired, but so rapid were
her movements, that my bullet missed.
"Quick, quick! reload, Mike!" cried Mr Tidey, who saw what had
happened.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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