gh less dreadful than at night, and
peering up Yan saw _two large limbs that crossed and rubbed each
other, when the right puff of wind came_. This was the Banshee that
did the wailing that had scared them all--_all but the Dog_. His
keener senses, unspoiled by superstition, had rightly judged the awful
sound as the harmless scraping of two limbs in the high wind, but the
lower, softer noise made by the prowling Cat he had just as truly
placed and keenly followed up.

Guy was the only one not convinced. He clung to his theory of Bears.

Late in the night the two Chiefs were awakened by Guy. "Say, Sam--Sam.
Yan--Yan--Yan--Yan, get up; that big Bear is 'round again. I told you
there was a Bear, an' you wouldn't believe me."

There was a loud champing sound outside, and occasionally growls or
grumbling.

"There's surely something there, Sam. I wish Turk and Caleb were here
now."

The boys opened the door a little and peered out. There, looming up in
the dim starlight, was a huge black animal, picking up scraps of meat
and digging up the tins that were buried in the garbage hole. All
doubts were dispelled. Guy had another triumph, and he would have
expressed his feelings to the full but for fear of the monster
outside.

"What had we better do?"

"Better not shoot him with arrows. That'll only rile him. Guy, you
blow up the coals and get a blaze."

All was intense excitement now, "Oh, why haven't we got a gun!"

"Say, Sam, while Sap--I mean Hawkeye--makes a blaze, let's you and me
shoot with blunt arrows, if the Bear comes toward the teepee." So they
arranged themselves, Guy puttering in terror at the fire and begging
them not to shoot.

"What's the good o' riling him? It--it--it's croo-oo-el."

Sam and Yan stood with bows ready and arrows nocked.

Guy was making a failure of the fire, and the Bear began nosing
nearer, champing his teeth and grunting. Now the boys could see the
great ears as the monster threw up its head.

"Let's shoot before he gets any nearer." At this Guy promptly
abandoned further attempts to make a fire and scrambled up on a cross
stick that was high in the teepee for hanging the pot. He broke out
into tears when he saw Sam and Yan actually drawing their bows.

"He'll come in and eat us, he will."

But the Bear was coming anyway, and having the two tomahawks ready,
the boys let fly. At once the Bear wheeled and ran off, uttering the
loud, unmistakable squeal of an old Pig--Burns's ow