ion. He marked as carefully as he could
the course he was taking, examining his compass to guide himself.
Several times he thought that it would be better to retrace his steps,
lest Hector should have returned during his absence to the camp. He was
at length on the point of doing so when he saw before him a wood. At
the same instant, he fancied that he heard the bark of a dog. He
hurried forward, feeling sure that it was that either of Muskey or
Buster, and he hoped that, if so, Hector was not far off, and had
escaped being captured by Indians. In a short time he again heard the
dogs bark, and as he approached the wood a voice, which he knew was
Hector's, shouted out--

"Take care, there's a big she-grizzly, with a couple of cubs, in that
thicket. I wounded her, and she's very savage."

"Where are you?" asked Loraine.

"Here, up a tree," cried Hector. "Whenever I attempt to descend, she
rushes out, and I have dropped my gun, so that I have no chance of
killing her."

"Come down then, and find your gun, and I will stand by to shoot the
bear if she appears."

"She got hold of my gun and broke it to pieces, so that you must not
depend upon my help," cried Hector. "You'll do better to get up here,
and kill her when she shows herself."

"I'll take post behind the tree, and when she sees you descending,
perhaps she will come out from the cover," answered Loraine. The dogs
meantime were barking furiously outside the thicket.

No sooner did Hector begin to descend than the bear, which had
apparently had her eyes fixed on him, came waddling out from her place
of concealment, growling savagely. The two dogs wisely scampered off
out of her reach, and Hector sprang up again. Loraine then stepped out
from behind the trunk, when the bear rose on her hind quarters, growling
and showing her fangs. The opportunity was as favourable as he could
desire. He took a steady aim, and over she rolled. At this, Hector
gave a shout of satisfaction, while the dogs came back, though afraid to
approach, as she was still struggling violently. Loraine then reloaded,
and advancing, sent another shot crashing through her brain. The two
cubs had come out, and looked as if inclined to give battle, but the
dogs kept them at bay, giving time to Loraine to load again, when he
fired and killed one of them, and the next was settled in the same way.

Hector, who had come down from his perch, expressed his regret at having
caused his fr