usion to the very tree-tops, were laden with the luscious fruit
which Bruin dearly loved. The hunters, therefore, were in no doubt as
to where to seek their prey. Armed only with light clubs and supple
switches, they dashed into the forest, darting this way and that, each
one eager to be the first to find a victim. Raoul joined forces with
an Indian lad of his own age named Outan, and it was understood that
they were to stand by each other. Beside his club Raoul had a good
hunting-knife in his belt, but he carried no fire-arms.

Pressing forward with reckless haste, they came to a place where the
grape-vines fairly smothered the trees which supported them.

"Ah-ha!" exclaimed Outan exultantly. "Plenty bear here, for sure!" and
the words had but left his lips when he gave a cry of joy and pointed
excitedly to a tree, whose leaves were shaking, although there was not
a breath of wind.

Raoul gazed in the direction indicated, and his heart gave a bound when
he caught sight of a dark body that the leaves only half concealed.

"There he is! I see him!" he cried; "a great big fellow, and he's
coming down!"

Running to the foot of the tree, the boys began to shout up to the
bear, calling him names, and daring him to come down.

But, instead of obeying them, the big black fellow, one of the largest
of his kind and in superb condition, turned about, and proceeded to
climb higher.

"Hullo! that won't do," said Raoul in a tone of disappointment. "We'll
never get him down that way. Let us throw stones up at him."

Accordingly they began to bombard the animal with stones, Raoul, who
was a capital shot, succeeding in hitting him more than once. Yet this
did not help matters at all. On the contrary the bear only climbed the
higher. Then Outan proposed to climb an adjoining tree, taking some
stones with him, and then to drive the creature down. Raoul thought
the idea an excellent one, and took up his station at the foot of the
tree with his club in readiness for immediate use. Outan went up the
tree with the ease of a monkey, and gaining a good position above the
bear shouted fiercely at him, while he threw the stones with accurate
aim. Thus assailed from this unexpected quarter, the bear was
panic-stricken, and started down the tree at utmost speed.

"Look out! bear's coming!" yelled Outan, and Raoul, with every nerve
quivering, and his muscles as tense as bow-strings, grasped his club
until his knuckles went w