66 TRUE BEAR STORIES. 



But all this could not last The bear 

 was almost on him in half a minute, al- 

 though he did not lift his nose six inches 

 till almost within reach of the boy's toes. 

 Then the surprised bear suddenly stood up 

 and began to look the boy in the face. As 

 the terrified youth sprang up, he thrust out 

 his left hand as a guard and struck the 

 brute with all his might between the eyes 

 with the other. But the left hand lodged 

 in the two rows of sharp teeth and the boy 

 and bear rolled into the river together. 



But they were together only an instant. 

 The bear, of course, could not breathe with 

 his mouth open in the water, and so had to 

 let go. Instinctively, or perhaps because 

 his course lay in that direction, the bear 

 struck out, swimming "dog fashion," for 

 the farther shore. And as the boy certainly 

 had no urgent business on that side of the 

 river he did not follow, but kept very still, 

 clinging to the moss on the big boulder 

 till the bear had shaken the water from his 

 coat and disappeared in the thicket. 



