34. The Bear's Revenge

A man setting out to hunt bear saw a small female Bear on the top of a hollow tree. He climbed up to it and got inside with the little Bear. He took the little Bear up, tied beads around its neck and stayed with it. By and by the Bear's mother came in and he was afraid, but the big Bear said, "Do not fear me," so he stayed with her one night. The next morning he started off and reached camp. But before he left the female Bear said, "Do not tell them anything about us." However, when the men all said, "Did you find the hollow tree?" that man replied "I found it." So they set out. They set fire to some old spunk. When they threw it inside, the Bear's mother came out. While she was coming down they shot at her but missed her. She reached the ground and ran to the camp. When she got there the man was lying on the top of a high scaffold which he had made, but when the Bear reached it she pulled it down and killed him. When the other men got back he lay dead but they did not know the reason.