22 TRUE BEAR STORIES. 



of the Indians threw his two naked arms in 

 the air and let them fall, limp and helpless 

 at his side; then he pointed out into the 

 stream, for there embers and living and 

 dead beasts began to drift and sweep down 

 the swift waters from above. The Indians 

 now gathered up the packs and saddles 

 and made a barricade above, for it was 

 clear that many a living thing w r ould now 

 be borne down upon us. 



The two Englishmen looked one another 

 in the face long and thoughtfully, pulling 

 their feet under them to keep from being 

 trodden on. Then, after another avalanche 

 of creatures of all sorts and sizes, a sort of 

 Noah's ark this time, one of them said to 

 the other: 



"Beastly, you know!" 



"Awful beastly, don't you know!" 



As they were talking entirely to them- 

 selves and in their own language, I did 

 not trouble myself to call their attention 

 to an enormous yellow rattlesnake which 

 had suddenly and noiselessly slid down, 



