"The flesh of the bear is eaten both by Indians and hunters; it is like
coarse beef. The hams are cured and dried, and by many thought to be a
great dainty."
"Mrs. Frazer, I would not eat a bit of the ham made from a wicked, cruel
bear, that eats little children," said Lady Mary. "I wonder the hunters
were not afraid to go into the swamps where such savage beasts lived. Are
there as many bears and wolves now in those places?"
"No, my lady; great changes have taken place since that time. As the
country becomes more thickly settled, the woods disappear. The axe and the
fire destroy the haunts that sheltered these wild beasts, and they retreat
further back, where the deer and other creatures on which they principally
feed abound."
"Do the hunters follow them?"
"There is no place, however difficult or perilous, where the hunter will
not venture in search of game."
"And do they pursue the graceful deer? They are so pretty, with their
branching antlers and slender limbs, that I should have thought no man
could be so cruel as to slay them."
"But their flesh is very savoury, and the Indian, when tired of bear's
meat, is glad of a dish of fresh venison. So with his gun--if he has one--
or with his bow and arrow, he lies in wait among the foliage and brushwood
of the forest, or behind the rocks on the bank of some swift torrent, and
when the unsuspecting stag makes his appearance on the opposite crag, he
takes a careful aim, lets fly his rapid arrow, and seldom fails to kill
his victim; which, dropping into the stream below, is borne by the current
within his reach.
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