er wary animals saw, or
scented him; or, at any rate, became conscious of approaching danger
from some cause, before he could reach the spot from which he desired
to take his aim. They had commenced moving; and, in another instant,
would have bounded away, out of all reach of his rifle. His eye and
piece, however, were too quick for them; for, bringing his piece into
position and without dwelling upon his aim, he sped a bullet after the
largest and the fattest of the noble game before him. He had wisely
allowed for the first leap, for his shot caught the nimble animal in
mid air and brought him to the earth, writhing in his death agony with
a fearful wound through the heart and lungs, from which there was
no escape. One quiver ran through the frame of the beautiful animal,
when, he breathed his last. The echoing sound of the rifle shot had
hardly died away, to which the true hunter ever listens with unfeigned
pleasure as the sweetest of music on his ear, whenever he has seen
that his game is surely within his grasp, the last faint melody was
broken in upon and completely lost in a terrific roar from the woods
directly behind him. Instantly turning his head to note the source
of this sound, the meaning and cause of which he well knew by his
experienced woodman's ear, educated until its nicety was truly
wonderful, he saw two huge and terribly angry grizzly bears. As his
eye first rested upon these unwelcome guests, they were bounding
towards him, their eyes flashing fiery passion, their pearly teeth
glittering with eagerness to mangle his flesh, and their monstrous
fore-arms, hung with sharp, bony claws, ready and anxious to hug his
body in a close and most loving embrace. There was not much time for
Kit to scratch his head and cogitate. In fact, one instant spent in
thought then would have proved his death warrant without hope of
a reprieve. Messrs. Bruin evidently considered their domain most
unjustly intruded upon. The gentle elk and deer mayhap were their
dancing boys and girls; and, like many a petty king in savage land,
they may have dined late and were now enjoying a scenic treat of
their ballet troupe. At all events Kit required no second thought to
perceive that the monarchs of the American forest were unappeasably
angry and were fast nearing him with mighty stride. Dropping his
rifle, the little leaden bullet of which would now have been worth
to him its weight in gold if it could by some magic wand have been
tr