sufficient to disarm
him of his former apprehension. In places they could see for miles ahead
and behind them. And Joanne, each time that he looked at her, was a greater
joy to him. Constantly she was pointing out the wonders of the mountains to
him and MacDonald. Each new rise or fall in the valley held fresh and
delightful surprises for her; in the craggy peaks she pointed out
castlements, and towers, and battlemented strongholds of ancient princes
and kings. Her mind was a wild and beautiful riot of imagination, of
wonder, and of happiness, and in spite of the grimness of the mission they
were on even MacDonald found himself rejoicing in her spirit, and he
laughed and talked with them as they rode into the North.

They were entering now into a hunter's paradise. For the first time Joanne
saw white, moving dots far up on a mountain-side, which MacDonald told her
were goats. In the afternoon they saw mountain sheep feeding on a slide
half a mile away, and for ten breathless minutes Joanne watched them
through the telescope. Twice caribou sped over the opens ahead of them. But
it was not until the sun was settling toward the west again that Joanne saw
what she had been vainly searching the sides of the mountains to find.
MacDonald had stopped suddenly in the trail, motioning them to advance.
When they rode up to him he pointed to a green slope two hundred yards
ahead.

"There's yo'r grizzly, Joanne," he said.

A huge, tawny beast was ambling slowly along the crest of the slope, and at
sight of him Joanne gave a little cry of excitement.

"He's hunting for gophers," explained MacDonald.

"That's why he don't seem in a hurry. He don't see us because a b'ar's eyes
are near-sighted, but he could smell us half a mile away if the wind was
right."

He was unslinging his long rifle as he spoke. Joanne was near enough to
catch his arm.

"Don't shoot--please don't shoot!" she begged. "I've seen lions, and I've
seen tigers--and they're treacherous and I don't like them. But there's
something about bears that I love, like dogs. And the lion isn't a king
among beasts compared with him. Please don't shoot!"

"I ain't a-goin' to," chuckled old Donald. "I'm just getting ready to give
'im the proper sort of a handshake if he should happen to come this way,
Joanne. You know a grizzly ain't pertic'lar afraid of anything on earth as
I know of, an' they're worse 'n a dynamite explosion when they come
head-on. There--he's goin' ove