st they had been hunting for almost two weeks.

Thor had rushed the dogs a full twenty yards toward the coulee when Langdon
dropped quickly behind a rock. There was only one way of saving him now, if
he was not too late. The pack had retreated a few yards down the slope, and
he aimed at the pack. One thought only filled his brain--he must sacrifice
his dogs or let Thor die. And that day Thor had given him his life!

There was no hesitation as he pressed the trigger. It was a long shot, and
the first bullet threw up a cloud of dust fifty feet short of the
Airedales. He fired again, and missed. The third time his rifle cracked
there answered it a sharp yelp of pain which Laagdon himself did not hear.
One of the dogs rolled over and over down the slope.

The reports of the shots alone had not stirred Thor, but now when he saw
one of his enemies crumple up and go rolling down the mountain he turned
slowly toward the safety of the rocks. A fourth and then a fifth shot
followed, and at the fifth the yelping dogs dropped back toward the coulee,
one of them limping with a shattered fore-foot.

Langdon sprang upon the boulder over which he had rested his gun, and his
eyes caught the sky-line. Iskwao had just reached the top. She paused for a
moment and looked down. Then she disappeared.

Thor was now hidden among the boulders and broken masses of sandstone,
following her trail. Within two minutes after the grizzly disappeared Bruce
and Metoosin scrambled up over the edge of the coulee. From where they
stood even the sky-line was within fairly good shooting distance, and
Langdon suddenly began shouting excitedly, waving his arms, and pointing
downward.

Bruce and Metoosin were caught by his ruse, in spite of the fact that the
dogs were again giving fierce tongue close to the rocks among which Thor
had gone. They believed that from where he stood Langdon could see the
progress of the bear, and that it was running toward the valley. Not until
they were another hundred yards down the slope did they stop and look back
at Langdon to get further directions. From his rock Langdon was pointing to
the sky-line.

Thor was just going over. He paused for a moment, as Iskwao had stopped,
and took one last look at man.

And Langdon, as he saw the last of him, waved his hat and shouted, "Good
luck to you, old man--good luck!"

CHAPTER NINETEEN

That night Langdon and Bruce made their new plans, while Metoosin sat
aloof, smoki