reat white shape stood as if turned to stone,
watching the radiant confusion. Here and there he saw a slender body
flash forth for an instant, half its length above the sparkling water,
as if striving to escape some unseen enemy. The school was making for
the main channel, which ran between two low, naked islets of rock,
perhaps half a mile apart. The nearest of these was about three hundred
yards from the shore. As soon as the bear made sure that the salmon were
taking this course, he galloped at top speed--a long, loose, shambling,
but rapid pace--down along the shore till just abreast of the islet.
Then he plunged in and swam for it, his sharp black muzzle and narrow
white head cleaving the smooth flood with almost incredible swiftness,
and throwing off an oily, trailing ripple on either side. When he
reached the islet the front of the salmon school was still some forty or
fifty paces distant. He crossed the rocks, slipped smoothly down into
the water again, and waited for the shining turmoil to break upon him.

For some reason known only to the hosts of the salmon themselves,
however, the shining turmoil swerved as it approached the islet,
crowding over toward the other side of the channel. The bear's hungry
little eyes blazed savagely at this. He imagined the hordes had taken
alarm at his dread presence,--a natural imagining on his part, since he
knew of nothing but the old bull walrus that dared ever await his
approach. But as a matter of fact the eager myriads of the salmon,
thrilling with life and vigour and the mating fire of spring, were no
more conscious of the savage animal than if he had been a rock or an
ice-floe. The joy of the incoming rush was in their splendid sinews, and
the lure of the shallow, singing rapids in their veins. To that exultant
host an enemy, however formidable, was but an incident. The exhaustless
fertility of their race derided fate.

With a grunt the bear launched himself through the whitish flood. On the
flanks of the flashing host he dived, swimming sinuously and with
extraordinary swiftness like a seal. Rising gradually toward the
surface, he struck this way and that, with wide jaws and armed fore
paws, among the crowded ranks of the salmon. His object was to kill,
kill, kill, before the opportunity passed by, in order that there should
be many dead fish to drift ashore and be picked up at his leisure.

After a minute or two of this savage work, which turned the thronged
tide cr