er
faltered for an instant. Elsie smiled at him as visibly as if she had
been there. His mind was made up.

At the edge of the wood he saw the rough spot where the bear had been
seen, but no bear was visible. He felt a sinking of the heart. "It
must have heard me and run away," he thought, and hurried forward. The
actual spot where it had been seen was reached, but Bruin was not there.
Disappointment rendered Ian somewhat impatient. He entered the bushes
beyond the knoll hastily. The bear had only changed its position, and
was wagging its head and nibbling its paws on the other side of these
bushes. It heard a footstep, ceased to nibble and wag, and looked up
inquiringly. Suddenly Macdonald burst through the bushes and stood
before him.

It is an open question whether the man or the beast was the more
surprised, for the former had given up all hope by that time. But the
bear was first to recover self-possession, and advanced to meet the
intruder.

It is well known that the king of the western wilds is endowed with more
than average ferocity and courage. He may perhaps let you alone if you
let him alone, but if you take him by surprise he is not prone to flee.
The bear in question was a magnificent specimen, with claws like the
fingers of a man. Even in that moment of extreme peril Ian saw these
claws strung together and encircling Elsie's neck.

We say that the peril was extreme, for not only was the hunter a bad
shot, but the hunted was a creature whose tenacity of life is so great
that one shot, even if well placed, is not sufficient to kill it
outright.

No one knew all this better than Ian Macdonald, but Elsie smiled
approval, and Ian, being a matter-of-fact, unromantic fellow, clenched
his teeth with a snap and went down on one knee. The bear quickened his
pace and came straight at him. Ian raised his gun. Then there came a
gush of feeling of some sort at his heart. What if he should miss?
What if the gun should miss fire? Certain death! he well knew that. He
took deadly aim when the monster was within a few yards of him and fired
at the centre of its chest. The ball took effect on the extreme point
of its nose, coursed under the skin over its forehead, and went out at
the back of its head.

Never before was a shot taken with a more demonstrative expression of
rage. To say that the bear roared would be feeble. A compounded
steam-whistle and bassoon might give a suggestive illustration.