appalling. But it was never born in a son of a father
like Soominitik to run from a bug, even at nine weeks of age.
Desperately he thrust out his paw again, and unfortunately for him one
of his tiny claws got a half Nelson on the beetle and held Chegawasse
on his shining back so that he could neither buzz not click. A great
exultation swept through Neewa. Inch by inch he drew his paw in until
the beetle was within reach of his sharp little teeth. Then he smelled
of him.

That was Chegawasse's opportunity. The pincers closed and Noozak's
slumbers were disturbed by a sudden bawl of agony. When she raised her
head Neewa was rolling about as if in a fit. He was scratching and
snarling and spitting. Noozak eyed him speculatively for some moments,
then reared herself slowly and went to him. With one big paw she rolled
him over--and saw Chegawasse firmly and determinedly attached to her
offspring's nose. Flattening Neewa on his back so that he could not
move she seized the beetle between her teeth, bit slowly until
Chegawasse lost his hold, and then swallowed him.

From then until dusk Neewa nursed his sore nose. A little before dark
Noozak curled herself up against the big rock, and Neewa took his
supper. Then he made himself a nest in the crook of her big, warm
forearm. In spite of his smarting nose he was a happy bear, and at the
end of his first day he felt very brave and very fearless, though he
was but nine weeks old. He had come into the world, he had looked upon
many things, and if he had not conquered he at least had gone
gloriously through the day.

CHAPTER TWO

That night Neewa had a hard attack of Mistu-puyew, or stomach-ache.
Imagine a nursing baby going direct from its mother's breast to a
beefsteak! That was what Neewa had done. Ordinarily he would not have
begun nibbling at solid foods for at least another month, but nature
seemed deliberately at work in a process of intensive education
preparing him for the mighty and unequal struggle which he would have
to put up a little later. For hours Neewa moaned and wailed, and Noozak
muzzled his bulging little belly with her nose, until finally he
vomited and was better.

After that he slept. When he awoke he was startled by opening his eyes
full into the glare of a great blaze of fire. Yesterday he had seen the
sun, golden and shimmering and far away. But this was the first time he
had seen it come up over the edge of the world on a spring morning in
t