186 OUR NATIONAL PARKS 



came for an early supper, as the flock was being 

 slowly driven toward the camp. Joe, the elder 

 of the shepherds, warned by many exciting ex- 

 periences, promptly climbed a tall tamarack pine, 

 and left the freebooters to help themselves ; 

 while Antone, calling him a coward, and declar- 

 ing that he was not going to let bears eat up his 

 sheep before his face, set the dogs on them, and 

 rushed toward them with a great noise and a 

 stick. The frightened cubs ran up a tree, and 

 the mother ran to meet the shepherd and dogs. 

 Antone stood astonished for a moment, eying 

 the oncoming bear ; then fled faster than Joe 

 had, closely pursued. He scrambled to the roof 

 of their little cabin, the only refuge quickly 

 available ; and fortunately, the bear, anxious 

 about her young, did not climb after him, — 

 only held him in mortal terror a few minutes, 

 glaring and threatening, then hastened back to 

 her cubs, called them down, went to the fright- 

 ened, huddled flock, killed a sheep, and feasted 

 in peace. Antone piteously entreated cautious 

 Joe to show him a good safe tree, up which he 

 climbed like a sailor climbing a mast, and held on 

 as long as he could with legs crossed, the slim 

 pine recommended by Joe being nearly branch- 

 less. " So you, too, are a bear coward as well 

 as Joe," I said, after hearing the story. " Oh, 

 I tell you," he replied, with grand solemnity, 

 " bear face close by look awful ; she just as soon 



