orror attacked him; but what
was more strange, the desire to risk his life kept growing upon him, and
as he afterwards told himself, he would no doubt have made the mad
venture if something had not happened to take his attention.

Joses was leaning back with half-closed eyes, enjoying his _cigarito_,
and Bart was half rising to his knees to go back and round to where the
branch projected, just to try it, he told himself, when they heard a
shout away to the left, and that shout acted like magic upon Bart.

"Why, that's Sam," he said, drawing a breath full of relief, just as if
he had awakened from some terrible nightmare.

"I'd 'bout forgotten him," said Joses lazily. "Ahoy! Oho!--eh!" he
shouted back. Then there was another shout and a rustling of bushes, a
grunting noise, and Bart seized his rifle.

"He has found game," he said.

Then he nearly let fall his piece, and knelt there as if turned to
stone, for, to his horror, he suddenly saw Sam down upon his hands and
knees crawling straight out on the great gnarled branch that overhung
the precipice, keeping to this mode of progression for a time, and then
letting his legs go down one on each side of the branch, and hitching
himself along, yelling lustily the while for help.

"He has gone mad," cried Bart, and as he spoke he thought of his own
sensations a few minutes before, and how he had felt tempted to do this
very thing.

"No, he arn't," said Joses, throwing the remains of his _cigarito_ over
the precipice, and lifting his rifle; "he's got bears after him."

Almost as he spoke the great rough furry body of an enormous black bear
came into sight, and without a moment's hesitation walked right out
along the branch after the man.

"There's another," cried Bart, "shoot, Joses, shoot. I dare not."

It seemed that Joses dare not either, or else the excitement paralysed
him, for he only remained like Bart, staring stupidly at the unwonted
scene before them as a second bear followed the first, which, in spite
of Sam's efforts to get into safety, had overtaken him, crept right upon
him, and throwing its forepaws round him and the branches as well,
hugged him fast, while the second came close up and stood there growling
and grunting and patting at its companion, who, fortunately for Sam, was
driving the claws at the ends of its paws deeply into the gnarled
branch.

"If I don't fire they'll kill him," muttered Joses, as the huge branch
visibly bent with the we