X 
THE BEAR 
375 
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 
consideration. 
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 
