A REMINISCENCE. 



193 



It, but, lucky for me, the water was so deep that we must have sunk twenty feet 

 afore I felt my foot touch the rocky bottom. 



" I lost my hold of the grizzly when I struck the water, for I had gripped him 

 by the long hair at the back of his shoulders, and I hoped to get to the surface 

 again ahead of him. But, when I come up, there he was, and he went for me with a 

 rush. 



" I had a better chance in the water, and, dropping down, I dove under him, 

 taking care when I came up to grab the hair on his back, and held on with both 

 hands. 



" Wasn't he furious ? He growled and began swimming round and round after 

 me, but, since it was easy enough to hang on, it was like a kitten chasing its tail, 

 and he never quite reached me, though he was so close more than once that I 

 expected he would. 



" Well, this thing went on till Ephraim began to get it through his head that he 

 couldn't draw a hand that would win. Then he headed straight for the other shore 

 with me towing after him, as though he was playing the part of a steam-tug. 



"I wasn't yet out of the scrape, for if we should both land, the grizzly would 

 have me foul, and I couldn't swim back to the shore behind me, for that was a solid 

 stone wall where a rat couldn't land. 



" So I gently let go, just afore we reached land, took a long dive, only allowing 

 my nose to come up for a niff of air, went down again, and, when I finally opened 

 my eyes, I was a dozen yards below Ephraim. 



"Would you believe it? There he stood on the shore, with his snout out over 

 the water, waiting for me to come up within reach. He didn't know enough to look 

 down stream for me, and, by managing things right, I drifted so far off that, before 

 long, I was able to leave the stream without danger from him. 



" It was a long journey round to the top of the rock where I had left my rifle, 

 and, by the time I laid hands on it again, it was growing dark, and I had to go back 

 to camp without anything for supper." 



