artled them. A large black
figure rose up from a dense thicket of alders, pawpaws and small willows
and gazed at them a moment or two with frightened red eyes.

"A bear," exclaimed Shif'less Sol. "Oh, Henry, let me shoot! I kin see
his steaks fryin' over the coals now. Thar's our supper, settin' on its
hind legs not ten feet from us."

"Don't you dare do such a thing!" exclaimed Henry, laughing. "Why, your
shot would bring a whole tribe of Indians down upon us!"

"I know it, but I do want that bear, an' I want to put the
responsibility o' not gittin' him on you."

"All right. I take it. There he goes and your chance, too, is lost."

The bear threshed out of his den, clattered across the mud flats and
entered the forest, whence came in a minute the sound of a shot.

"Thar, the warriors hev got him!" exclaimed Shif'less Sol, deep
disappointment showing in his tone, "and in two or three hours they'll
be cookin' him. An' he was our bear, too. We saw him first. I could see
that he was nice an' fat, even ef it wuz early in the year, an' them
steaks belong to us."

"Maybe they did, but we've lost 'em. Now, I think we'd better keep
quiet. The Indians are probably far ahead of us, thinking that we've
gone that way."

The shiftless one subsided into an indignant silence. The oasis was an
ideal place for two situated as they were, and having the wisdom of the
woods they remained still and quiet in its cover. But after three or
four hours the shiftless one became restless. He was a man of great
strength, and despite his lazy manner, of wonderful bodily activity. It
took much food to satisfy the demands of that powerful frame, and he was
growing hungrier and hungrier. Moreover a light wind began to blow from
the west, bringing upon its edge a faint aroma that caused him to sit up
and sniff inquiringly. The odor grew stronger, and he no longer had need
to ask questions with his nose. He knew, and he knew too well.

"Henry," he said, "thar's our bear jest as I expected. They're cookin'
him, an' it's not so fur away either!"

"I think you're right, but we can't help it. We have to be resigned."

"Mebbe we can't help it, an' then ag'in mebbe we kin, but anyway I ain't
goin' to be resigned. I'm protestin' all the time, 'cause it's my bear.
I saw him first."

The savory odor grew stronger, and the anger and indignation of the
shiftless one increased. And with these two emotions came a third which
hardened into a resolution.