hold their fire, but presently, since
almost every one else on the boat began to shoot, Alex signaled to his
young charges to open up their battery. He knew very well that the
rifles they were using were more powerful than the carbines which made
the usual arm in that country.

"Be careful now, young men," said he, "and watch where your bullets
go."

For the first few shots the boys found the difficulty which Jesse had
prophesied, for shooting from an unstable platform is always
difficult. They had the added advantage, however, of being able to
tell where their bullets were falling. As they were all firing close
together, and were using rifles of the same caliber, it was difficult
to tell who really was the lucky marksman, but, while the little
triangle of moving water still seemed two or three hundred yards below
the boat, suddenly it ceased to advance. There lay upon the surface of
the water a large oblong, black mass.

"Through the head!" said Alex, quietly. "I don't know which one."

All the deck-hands below began to laugh and shout. The captain of
the boat now came forward. "I don't know which one of you to
congratulate," said he, "but that was good work. Now my men will
have plenty of meat for the trip down, that's sure."

He now passed down to the floor of the deck, and under his
instructions one of the deck-hands picked up a long, stout pole
which had a hook fastened on the end of it.

"Look down there below now, young gentlemen," said Alex, "and you'll
see something you never will see anywhere but here. We gaff a bear
here, the same as you do a salmon."

This literally was true. The engineer now shut off his engines, and
the great boat drifted slowly down upon the floating body of the dead
bear, with just steerageway enough to enable the pilot to lay her
alongside. At last the deck-hand made a quick sweep with his
gaff-hook, and calling two of his fellows to hold onto the pole with
him, and so stopping the tremendous pull which the body of the bear
made on the pole, they finally succeeded in easing down the strain and
presently brought the dead bear close alongside. Then a noose was
dropped over its neck and it was hauled aboard. All this time the
boys were excitedly waiting for the end of their strange hunt, and to
them this sort of bear hunting seemed about the most curious they had
ever known.

The deck-hands now, in obedience to a word in their own language from
the captain, rapidly began to ski