one
quick, vigorous thrust of his knife was sufficient; and his antagonist;
armed only with teeth and claws, lay dead before him. So sudden had
been the attack, and so quickly had come the deliverance, that for the
first time in his life Oowikapun offered up as well as he could words of
thanksgiving to the Great Spirit for his escape. In his own crude way
and with the Indian's naturally religious instinct and traditions, he
had believed in the existence of a Good Spirit, which he called
Kissa-Manito; and also in the existence of a bad spirit, whose name was
Muche-Manito; but in what little worship he had engaged heretofore he
had endeavoured to propitiate and turn away the malice of the evil
spirit, rather than to worship the Good Spirit, in whom all Indians
believe, but about whom he had very vague ideas until his visit to the
Christian hunter's wigwam. Now, however, even before he skinned the
bear, as the result of that visit, he prayed to that Good Spirit, the
giver of all his blessings, and was grateful for his deliverance. Would
that he had continued trying to pray, even if he had received as yet but
little instruction in the right way!

He was glad to get the meat and skin of the bear and also the two little
cubs, which he easily captured alive. Bending down some small trees, he
tied the greater portion of the meat in the tops and then let them swing
up again, as he could not carry much back with him in addition to the
skin and the two frisky little bears. This plan of _caching_ supplies
in the tops of small trees, as the Indians call it, is almost the only
way that things can be safely left in the woods where so many wild
animals are prowling about. If the meat were put up in the branches of
a large tree, the wolverines or wild cats would soon get on the scent of
it, and being able to climb the trees, would quickly make short work of
it. If buried in the ground, these animals, or perhaps the grey wolves,
would soon get it; but bury it in the tops of the small trees which the
animals cannot climb, and which they have not wit enough to cut down
with their teeth, the _cache_ is safe until the owner comes for it.

Thus Oowikapun hunted until the season was almost ended; and then making
a long light sled, he packed on it his furs and camping outfit, and the
two little bears, which had become quite tame, and started out on his
return journey to his far-away northern home. Loaded as he was, he saw
it would ta