However, to shorten the story, Friday danced so much, and the bear stood so ticklish, that we had laughing enough, 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 go out far enough to be thrown down, but clung fast with his great broad claws and feet, so that we could not imagine what would be the end of it, and what 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,” says Friday, “you no come farther, me go; you no come to me, me come to you;” and upon this he went out to the smaller end, where it would bend with his weight, and gently let 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, took it up, and stood still.
In somma per far corta la storia, Venerdì saltò tanto, e i corrispondenti atti dell’orso furono tanto grotteschi, che avemmo campo a ridere per un bel pezzo; ma nessuno s’immaginava ancora che cosa il nostro direttore del ballo si fosse messo in testa di fare; perchè su le prime pensammo ch’egli avesse soltanto l’intenzione di far fare un capitombolo all’orso; ma vedemmo che la bestia era troppo scaltra per dargli un tal gusto, e benchè si guardasse dal salire tant’alto da non potersi reggere sotto lo scotimento dell’albero, ci si attaccava per altro molto bene co’ suoi unghioni, e con le sterminate sue zampe; onde non capivamo come sarebbe andata a finire e qual fosse in sostanza la moralità della commedia. Ma ben tosto Venerdì ci trasse da questa incertezza, perchè vedendo che l’orso s’andava attaccando all’albero, ma non si lasciava persuadere ad avvicinarsi di più, allora disse all’orso: — «Ah ben bene!