312 THE STORY FINISHED. 



whole with a small bundle of sticks and twigs. With 

 the frying-pan upon his head, he started late at night ; 

 and when he had accomplished about half the journey, he 

 changed his posture, and crawling slowly and cautiously 

 along, arrived within a hundred paces of the spot where 

 I was seated, without the Grisly suspecting his approach. 



" It was at this moment the ferocious beast had raised 

 himself upright for the first time, and had begun to roar. 

 ' That formidable voice,' said Narcissus, ' froze my heart, 

 and I was on the point of swooning away.' 



" Remaining, immovable until the Grisly was once 

 more calm, my mulatto again dragged himself through 

 the grass, not advancing above an inch or two at each 

 movement, and when he had accomplished a few paces, 

 he halted anew for about one minute. 



" At last, when he thought himself sufficiently close to 

 make his coup d'etat, he drew a chemical match from a 

 box which he found in the waggons, and lighted it. 



" He had but to touch the straw for it to kindle into a 

 blaze immediately. It was during the preparations for 

 this grand denouement that the bear had broken out into 

 his greatest access of rage. But Narcissus gave him no 

 time to act ; rushing towards me with the frying-pan on 

 his head, and a lighted branch in either hand, he put my 

 adversary to flight at the first charge. 



" And now, my friend," said Mr. Jeffrey, turning 

 towards me, " you will understand why I am so attached 

 to this brave boy, who, under such critical circumstances, 

 displayed more wit and courage to save my life, than, 

 perhaps, he would have shown to have saved his own." 



