THE BLACK BEAK. 271 



A dash of a mile more, and Phillips stopped suddenly. 

 He had caught the sound of the baying of the dogs, and 

 of the voices of Little John and Taylor. The roar of the 

 pack was plain; and not far behind them we could hear the 

 yells of the two hunters. 



"They must have gone stark-mad, to be hollering to 

 those dogs," exclaimed Phillips, as he muttered to himself 

 words I did not catch but no doubt they made the record- 

 ing angel blush for their irreverence. And then he added, 

 louder, "The Parson has forgot where he is, and thinks he 

 is preaching to a lot of mourners at a camp-meeting. He 

 will never kill a Bear at that rate. Ride, Colonel; I hear 

 old Kate half a mile ahead, and she is just pinching and 

 pushing that Bear for all he is worth. The Bear is aiming 

 to cross at the ford, and if we can get there in time we can 

 get a shot before it passes the road." 



It was true. Old Kate was at least three to four hun- 

 dred yards ahead; and it was a ride for life and death for us 

 to be there before they crossed the river, which we undoubt- 

 edly would have done, but for having to make our way 

 around a number of large trees that the wind had blown 

 down that night right across our path. 



This gave the Bear the inside track, and we had the 

 melancholy satisfaction of hearing Kate's fierce voice as she 

 plunged into the cane on the right. She and the Bear had 

 passed before we got to the ford, which the rest of the pack 

 were now swimming. 



' ' Let us stop here until the dogs all cross, and when 

 they see me they will pursue the Bear with renewed cour- 

 age," said Phillips. 



Just then I saw the Parson and Taylor dash down the 

 bank, right into the water, behind the last dogs. What 

 cared those gallant hunters for ice, snow, and swimming 

 water in a time like this ! Up the bank they came, as wet 

 as water could make them, and still yelling. 



"Stop that infernal noise," shouted Phillips, as he 

 dashed forward to head them off. " Stop that noise. If 

 you had not yelled so, you would have got a shot long ago, 



