“If you and Sam want to hunt the bear,” said the kind owner, “you are welcome to my rifle, for you know a shot-gun ain’t exactly the thing to go hunting bears with.”

“That’s just what I want it for,” said Nick, with sparkling eyes.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE BEAR HUNTERS.

Nothing is impossible to pluck and perseverance.  That boy who is determined to become brilliant in his studies, no matter what their nature, or to master a difficult profession, or to attain any point possible of attainment, is sure to win, if he will but stick to it.

Nick Ribsam was resolved to become skillful with the rifle, and he gave all the time he could spare to practice with the gun which belonged to Mr. Marston.  He was desirous of starting after the bear with Sam, as soon as he could use the gun, but his sensible father shook his head.

“No, Nicholas, that would be doing wrong, for you do not know how to handle the rifle; God does not step in and help the lazy and careless; first learn how to use the weapon, so you will never miss; then you may go hunt bears.”

Although a lusty lad, Nick found the heavy gun was quite a burden, and he preferred to rest the barrel on the fence, or in the crotch of a tree, when aiming, but Sam Harper told him he could never amount to anything unless he used his weapon off-hand, and was ready to do so effectively, no matter how sudden the call.

Nick applied all his energies, and in the course of a few weeks won the praise of Sam, who had become very fond of the bright and good-natured “Pennsylvania Dutchman,” who, in return, helped him in his efforts to improve his knowledge in arithmetic, which he studied in a desultory way on the long autumn evenings, having promised his father to do so.

Mr. Marston owned a dog which was not of much account, but the boys trained him with rare patience, and were confident he would prove valuable when they took him on the hunt.

By the time they were ready to start autumn was advanced, and Nick, who had carefully studied up the peculiarities of the animal, said he was afraid the bear had gone into some hollow tree or cave to take his winter’s sleep.

“I don’t think they do that till the weather gets colder,” said Sam, who had once helped hunt bruin in the wilds of Tennessee, “and even in very cold weather I have seen their tracks in the snow; but if we can only find the tree or cave where he is hiding, why, that will just be splendid.”

“Why so?”

“He is fat, lazy, and so sleepy that he don’t fight much; but in the spring-time he is lean, hungry, and fierce, and then everybody must look out.  There are so many chestnuts and hickory nuts in the woods now that he can get all he wants to eat without scaring the farmers by visiting them.”

“The bear eats almost everything,” said Nick, “but I don’t believe he can make much of a meal off hickory nuts.”