morning he rode along the foothills to
find, if he could, a small bunch of cattle which he himself had not seen
since Spring.

Shortly after mid-day he found himself near the site of an old logging
camp, where several creeks united to form a muskeg, and at the foot of
it a little lake. Out of the lake a larger creek ran, and across it
stood the old camp buildings, now worn and weatherbeaten and roofless.
The banks were steeply cut and the old pole bridge was rotten. Therefore
Angus put Chief on a rope where the grazing was good, and taking his
lunch and rifle, crossed the creek, intending to eat beside an excellent
spring which was better than the creek water.

He leaned his rifle against one end of the ancient bunkhouse, went the
length of it, turned the corner, and came full upon a huge, old-man
grizzly.

[Illustration: _He turned the corner, and came full upon a huge, old-man
grizzly._]

The bear had been digging at a rotten stump, which strewed the ground in
fragments, and the brawl of the creek had drowned whatever noise Angus
had made. Thus it was a case of mutual surprise. As Angus turned the
corner the bear's senses brought him warning. He turned his great, flat
head, and at sight of the intruder his mane roached and bristled, and he
swung about with unbelievable quickness. Being more or less penned by
the wall of the eating camp and an old pole fence, he probably believed
himself cornered. He half rose, with a snort, and his fierce, little
eyes lit with a green flare.

Angus had had no first-hand experience with grizzlies, though he had
seen them at a distance. Nevertheless, he knew a good deal about them
from men who had, and his information amounted to this: The ordinary
grizzly will run if he can; but if he is wounded or believes himself
cornered, there is no telling just what he will do. Also there are "bad"
bears, just as there are "bad" bulls or stallions.

The bear was a complete surprise to Angus. He was so close that he could
almost smell him, could see the little pieces of rotten, wet wood and
slaver on his jaws, the red of his mouth and the white of his tusks all
speckled with dirt from his grubbing. For a moment his heart almost
stopped beating, his hair prickled, and stood on end, and his knees
knocked together. For an instant he stood frozen in his tracks, and then
as he saw the great brown bulk gather itself he came to life and action.
With an involuntary yell he leaped into the air like a