bear stopped again.

We thought now was a good time to knock him on the head, and called to
Friday to stand still, and we would shoot the bear; but he cried out
earnestly, "O pray! O pray! no shoot, me shoot by and then;" he would
have said by and by. However, to shorten the story, Friday danced so
much, and the bear stood so ticklish, that we had laughing enough
indeed, but still could not imagine what the fellow would do; for first
we thought he depended upon shaking the bear off; and we found the bear
was too cunning for that too; for he would not get out far enough to be
thrown down, but clings fast with his great broad claws and feet, so
that we could not imagine what would be the end of it, and where the
jest would be at last.

But Friday put us out of doubt quickly; for seeing the bear cling fast
to the bough, and that he would not be persuaded to come any farther;
"Well, well," said Friday, "you no come farther, me go, me go; you no
come to me, me come to you;" and upon this he goes out to the smallest
end of the bough, where it would bend with his weight, and gently lets
himself down by it, sliding down the bough, till he came near enough to
jump down on his feet; and away he ran to his gun, takes it up, and
stands still.

"Well," said I to him, "Friday, what will you do now? Why don't you
shoot him?"--"No shoot," says Friday, "no yet; me shoot now me no kill;
me stay, give you one more laugh;" and indeed so he did, as you will see
presently; for when the bear saw his enemy gone, he comes back from the
bough where he stood, but did it mighty leisurely, looking behind him
every step, and coming backward till he got into the body of the tree;
then with the same hinder end foremost, he came down the tree; grasping