t glimmer of dawn. The fire on shore had died
down, but the embers still shone. The Indian who had been on watch had
risen from his seat and followed the dogs, which had run growling up the
strip of sand toward the meadow which lay between the water and the woods.
Evidently there was some game in sight, and Jack crawled back under the
tarpaulin and grasped his rifle, a Remington repeater. He did not arouse
any of the others as he had really seen nothing, and was a little
sensitive to possible ridicule.

He ran up the gangplank and stepped ashore. The other Indians were still
asleep and Jack took the trail of the sentinel, whom he could dimly see in
the distance.

The latter turned as he heard Jack's footsteps on the gravel, and waited
for him.

"What is it?" asked Jack.

"No know," replied the Indian, "maybe bear, dogs no fight, only growl."

Dimly through the dawn Jack could make out a black mass lumbering slowly
down through the meadow toward them. The dogs ran around it in circles,
merely growling and offering no attack. At a word from the Indian,
however, they ran in snarling on the animal, which stopped, and with a
loud "woof" reared up on its haunches, showing an enormous height.

"Bear; shootum," cried the Indian, who had only an ax with him. Jack
raised his rifle and fired, and as the bear dropped on all fours fired
another shot.

The animal let out a snarling cry, and, grasping one of the dogs which had
ventured within reach of its enormous paws, squeezed the life out of it
before it could let out a cry. The Indian gave a yell and ran in on the
enormous animal, and with a well-directed blow of the ax split its skull
open between the eyes. At the same time Jack, as a precaution, fired
another shot into the creature's open mouth, and it rolled motionless on
its side.

The shots and the cries of the Indian had aroused every one on the two
boats, and Swiftwater and Skookum Joe came running over the sands, rifles
in hand. By this time the early dawn of the high latitude had rendered all
objects visible, and the boys had also joined Jack and the Indian, who was
circling cautiously around the huge brute, trying to ascertain the fate of
the dog, which was still clasped in the death clutch of the now motionless
animal.

"Ha," exclaimed Swiftwater, "a kodiak, and a corker; the biggest one I
ever saw. You fellers were lucky to get him on the first shot, for that
breed can make an awful mess if they start to fig