e, I grasped my rifle and aimed at his head. If I missed him,
I should scarcely have had time, I feared, to seize Obed's rifle before
he would have been upon me. I knew that his body was so encased with
fat that it would be difficult to wound him vitally through that. I
fired: the bullet hit him in the head, but still he came on, gnashing
his teeth. I lifted my second rifle. I could not well have missed him
had I been standing up or kneeling, but sitting, as I was, it was
difficult to take a steady aim. He was about ten paces off: again I
fired. I felt sure that I had not missed, but with a terrific growl he
bounded on towards me. I had barely time to grasp a revolver when he
was close up to me. Already I felt his hot breath in my face; his huge
claws had hold of my limbs; he was trying to clasp me round the body:
his muzzle, with its sharp teeth, touched on my shoulder. Poor Obed,
who was standing behind me, unable to render me assistance, literally
shrieked with fear, not for himself, but for me. In another moment I
felt that I must be torn to pieces. I mustered all my nerve. It was
much wanted. I waited a moment till I could aim steadily at his head.
I fired. He gave me a terrific hug. It was his death grapple. As it
was, it very nearly squeezed the breath out of my body. Then he rolled
over and lay motionless. I did not roll after him, but lest he should
only be shamming 'coon, I dragged myself as far-off as I could to reload
my weapons.

"No fear, Dick, he's dead," cried Obed joyfully. "Well, you're a friend
at a pinch, as I always thought you."

It would not have been in his way to express his thanks by more than
this, still I knew by his looks that he was grateful to me. In reality
I had only fought in self-defence, so I do not know that he had anything
to thank me for.

"Old Bruin will afford us many a good dinner, at all events, I hope,"
said I. "And do you know, Obed, you and the bear saved my life just now
between you." And then I told him how his shouts had, I believed,
scared away the rattlesnake. "So you see, old fellow, we are quits."

Obed having ascertained by a hearty kick that Bruin was really dead, I
attached my rope to his waist and then to the bear, and by its means we
dragged the carcass a little way from our camping-ground. He then came
back and helped me along that I might cut some steaks for our supper.
We cooked them in the same way we had done the racoon. While th