“Spoken like a liberal and free-hearted gentleman,” said Smith.  “Well, Doctor, name the amount and nature of the blackmail you intend to levy upon me.  But have a conscience, man! have a conscience!”

“It will be making a great sacrifice on my part,” the Doctor replied, “but out of friendship for you, I’ll make you a proposition.  We’ll toss op a dollar, and the one that wins shall have the honour of having killed the bear, and of telling the story in his own way, and the others shall indorse it.”

“Agreed,” said Smith, “but if you win, I shall have to borrow a conscience of Spalding, or some other lawyer, for there’ll be need of a pretty elastic one.”

“Yours will answer, I think,” drily remarked Spalding.

“It appears to me, gentlemen,” said I “that I’ve something to say about the killing of that bear.”

“You,” exclaimed the Doctor, “what had you to do with it, pray?  There stands your rifle, with the same ball in it that you placed there this morning.  You haven’t discharged your rifle to-day.”

“Notwithstanding that,” I replied, “I am entitled to a portion of the glory, as I am chargeable with my share of the responsibility, of killing the bear.  I was one of the first who discovered him; I was among the foremost in the pursuit; I was present, aiding and advising in the manner of the killing; I had my weapon in my hand, and was restrained from using it, only because you might fail to accomplish what my reserved bullet would have made secure.  Now, if this bear had been human, and we were accused of killing him, I would be regarded in the eye of the law as equally guilty with you.  I appeal to Spalding if this is not so?”

“H——­is right,” replied Spalding, as he sent a column of smoke wreathing upward from his lips.  “Such is the law.”

“We must buy this fellow off, Smith,” said the Doctor, “we must buy him off.  He’s an old hunter, known as such, and he’ll take to himself all the glory; and what is worse, the world will believe him.  He’ll spread himself beyond all bounds.  He’ll shine beyond endurance upon the strength of this bear.  We must buy him off.  It is against all conscience, but there is no help for it.  We must buy him off.  There’s an impudence in this claim which reminds me of an anecdote related by Noah.”

“By Noah?” asked Smith, interrupting him, “Noah who?”

“What ignorance there is in this world, even in these days of educational enlightenment!” remarked the Doctor to Spalding and myself.  “Now, here is a decently informed gentleman, claiming to be a Christian man, to have studied the Bible, and don’t know who Noah was.  Such an instance of human ignorance in these times, is shocking.”

“Oh!  I understand now,” said Smith, “he was the gentleman who built the ark.  Well, go on with your anecdote.”