te came from the front. Ere
the voice behind could again reply a solemn "Hoot-a-hoot-a-hoo" came
from the front.

For a time all was still, and then the song of the robin was heard in
front, and only a chirp was heard in the rear.

Sharp and quick was the ending.

Soon after this chirp the boys heard the bushes rustling in front of
them not fifty yards away. Then they saw in the opening the two
children, closely followed by two young bears. As the children slowly
moved along they kept plucking the berries and feeding them to the
greedy young animals. The children were ragged and sadly changed as,
from their still hidden position, the boys watched them; they could see
that Wenonah, at least, seemed to know that they must act cautiously,
and they observed that frequently she spoke to the little fellow at her
side.

It was her bird notes that had answered Mustagan. Little did they
realise, a year or so before, as he taught Wenonah these calls of the
birds and what they meant, that her very life would so soon depend upon
her knowledge of them.

Still cautiously advancing with little Roderick at her side, and both of
them feeding the little bears, she at length reached a spot where she
caught a glimpse of the boys. Without at all raising her voice she
said:

"Crouch down as well as you can and bring the berries."

This they quickly did.

"Feed these greedy young ones while I give a basket to the old ones, so
that while they are eating them we can get away."

Poor girl! She knew not of the number of guns that were now within
range of anything that would dare to harm her, and the boys were warned
not to speak.

Taking one of the baskets of berries, she quickly disappeared among the
dense bushes, while the boys, with the other full baskets, had made
friends with the young bears. When Wenonah returned, she found the
young bears were filling themselves with the fruit. So thoroughly
terrified had the children become, through fear of the bears, that
although the boys by expressive signs urged them at once to hurry in the
direction of safety and deliverance, they hesitated, and even when they
started kept fearfully looking back.

The instant they reached Mustagan he shouted to the boys to return, and
not a moment too soon, for crashing through the bushes came the two old
bears, fierce and savage, and showing that in some way they had become
suspicious of danger.

Coolly picking up the two baskets which the