Foiled in their efforts to go either up or down in the dried-up channel
of the stream, after some time spent on the sands the children and bears
came up, and, entering among the berry-bushes, began to eat of the
abundant fruit.

They were now much nearer to the Indians, and it was evident that the
young bears were looking to the children to help them in picking their
breakfast of berries.

When convinced of this the Indians' eyes brightened, and they said:

"The mistress is right; the boys will feed the young bears, and we will
shoot the old ones."

Noiselessly they withdrew from their hiding place and rejoined the rest
of the party, who had with almost feverish impatience awaited their
return. Quietly and rapidly they reported what they had seen, and then
the final preparations were made.

Quickly they all moved on, and soon were at the brow of the last hill,
from the top of which the whole of the great plain, densely covered with
the berry-bushes, could be seen, with the thread of shining sand in the
distance, already referred to.

Here on the hilltop Mr and Mrs Ross were seated behind some dense
bushes, through which they could look without creating suspicion. Then
the Indians, taking the boys along with them, started on their dangerous
course. Like panthers they moved quietly along, keeping as close to the
ground as possible, until they reached a ledge of rocks. Here the
Indians, with their guns loaded with ball, were placed, while the boys,
with nothing but their baskets of berries, in company with Mustagan went
on a little farther. Then Mustagan, giving the boys their final
instructions and charging them to keep cool and be brave, no matter what
might occur, withdrew with his gun, and hid himself behind a rock, a
little way in the rear of them.

It was an exciting time for the boys, but they had learned to have such
confidence in these grand old red men that such a thing as fear was now
about unknown in any of them, even at the most trying moments.

While there sitting they were startled by a shrill bird call from not
far behind them. They could hardly believe their ears when they found
it came from the lips of Mustagan. In a minute or two it was repeated,
and then again and again, with short intervals between.

To their surprise another bird call some hundreds of yards ahead of them
was heard, and after a time it was repeated. Then the blackbird's notes
rang out from behind, and then another no