hem alarmed the bear and quickly brought his
meal to a close. The sudden shouting and the apparition of these people
were too much for him, and so, jamming what food he had at that instant
in his paws in his mouth, he sprang out of the canoe into the water, and
began swimming at a great rate toward a small island that was directly
out from the mainland. Seeing him thus retreating, and wishing to keep
him at it, Mrs Ross and the children, with all the display and noise
they could make, rushed forward, and thus, if possible, caused him to
redouble his efforts to get away. This was the wisest thing they could
have done. A bear is quick to notice whether his presence causes alarm
or not. A bold front will generally cause him to retreat, while on the
other hand, if he sees any signs of cowardice, or thinks he can terrify
his enemies and cause them to fly from him, he is not slow in being the
aggressor and making the attempt.

Mrs Ross, well knowing some of the characteristics of bears and their
habits, was not to be taken off her guard, and so she was resolved to be
prepared for every emergency. Her first precaution was to take out one
of the guns and load it well with ball. Then she explored the lunch
basket to find out the extent of the bear's raid upon it. To the
children's sorrow they found that the best part of the contents, from
their standpoint, of the hamper was gone. The cakes and most of the
jam, which in that country is such a luxury, being imported all the way
from England, were all gone. However, there were some packages of bread
and butter and cold meats, and so they did not starve.

But what about the bear? The island which he had now reached was not
more than a quarter of a mile away from them. No other one was near,
and a frightened bear dislikes to be on an island. He seems to be
conscious of the fact that he is at a disadvantage, and so he will
endeavour to leave it for the mainland as quickly as possible. Mrs
Ross knew this, and so she felt, after she had thought it over, that, in
all probability, very soon after the bear had reached the island, and
observed its limited area and lack of dense forests, in which he could
hide himself, he would take it into his head for his own personal safety
to quickly return to the mainland. With this knowledge of the bear's
habits, she resolved to be ready for him in case he made the attempt.
The first thing she did, however, was to endeavour to recall the