x THE BEAR 215 



themselves pursued. If Bill could only get them upon the open 

 plateau on the summit, he might be able to manage them, but with 

 a gallop up a steep hill to commence with, in the late dusk of 

 evening, the odds were decidedly against him. 



It became dark, and we expected Bill's return every minute. 

 Jem Bourne, my head man, who was always a grumbler, and ex- 

 ceedingly jealous, began to ventilate his feelings. " A pretty fool 

 he's made of himself to go galloping after bears in a dark night, 

 and nothing but a six-shooter ! . . A nice thing for our best horse 

 to break his legs over those big rocks that nobody can see at night. 

 . . . Well, he'll have to sleep out, and he'll find it pretty cold 

 before the morning, I know. . . . What business he's got to take 

 that horse without permission, beats me hollow ! " 



This sort of muttered growling was disturbed by two shots in 

 quick succession, far up, above the summit of the forest. There 

 could be no doubt that Bill had overhauled the bears. 



By this time it was quite dark, and we drew our own conclusions 

 from the two pistol shots, the unanimous decision being that Bill 

 had fired in the hope of turning the bears when entering the forest ; 

 but what chance had he in the dark, and single-handed ? 



I did not take much interest in such a hopeless chase, but I was 

 anxious about the horse, as the country was so rough that it would 

 be most difficult to pick a way through holes and rocks, to say 

 nothing of fallen trees, which, even during daylight, required con- 

 sideration. 



We piled immense pine-logs upon the fire, in addition to bundles 

 of spruce branches ; these made a blaze 20 feet high, and would 

 form a beacon as a guide in the dark night. 



I had taken the time by my watch when we heard the two shots 

 upon the mountain top ; twenty minutes had passed, and my lips 

 were almost numbed by whistling with my fingers as a signal that 

 could be heard during a calm night at a great distance. Suddenly 

 this signal appeared to be answered by a shot, from a totally 

 different direction from the first that we had heard ; then, quickly, 

 another shot ; followed in irregular succession, until we had counted 

 six. " His six-shooter's empty now, but he's got plenty of cart- 

 ridges in his belt," exclaimed little Henry, the cook. 



What was the object of these shots 1 He could not have followed 

 the bears that distance in the dark, as his position was quite a 

 mile from the spot where he had first fired ; and he was now, as 

 nearly as we could imagine, above a rocky cliff which bordered a 

 grassy gap that would enable him to descend into our valley ; he 

 would then find his way parallel with the stream direct to our camp. 



