“No, he not come back yet, but he soon come, an’ den you see,” he answered, looking very mysterious.
At length, one evening, I met him running towards the house in a state of great excitement.
“Wha’r Massa Denis?” he asked; “me tinkee me got b’ar for him now. Wha’r is he?”
For a wonder, he was in the house, as was Dan; so I called them both.
“We must get some cords to bind our prisoner, or otherwise he may not be quite ready to accompany us,” said my uncle.
Having procured some pieces of strong rope, we set off. We overtook Dio, and asked him how he knew that the bear had got into the hollow trunk. He then described his plan of proceeding. He had filled the lower part of the cavity with dry leaves, branches, and twigs, and had laid a train so that he could fire it in an instant. He had also blocked up a portion of the entrance, and had placed some stout sticks, sharply pointed, directed inwards, so that although the bear could squeeze through one way, he would find it a difficult task to back out again.
As we approached the tree described by Dio, he advised us to get our rifles ready, and to have our lashings prepared to bind Bruin’s legs when he tried to come out, as he probably would, tail first. Still the animal did not make his appearance.
“Perhaps he is afraid of descending for fear of burning himself, as you have lighted a fire at the bottom of the hollow, and he would have to go through it,” observed Uncle Denis.
Dio asserted that it was because the dogs kept up a barking, and he advised that we should retire to a short distance, while he remained near to listen when the bear was descending. We kept the dogs back and held our guns in readiness, should Bruin come forth, indignant at having his hide singed, and make a rush at us.
We waited several minutes, but with the exception of some low growls, which grew fainter and fainter, no sounds reached our ears. Dio every now and then popped his woolly pate out from behind the tree where he was hiding himself, showing his white teeth, evidently wondering what was going to happen. Presently a loud crashing noise was heard, and the sticks which Dio had placed at the entrance of the hollow giving way, out fell a huge bear headlong to the ground. Dio rushed forward.