Part 55 (1/2)

And all this tierly on the watch for help as his friends were ready to supply it

When the idea struck hi to do to run on forward to the foot of the coal cliff and start a fire ready for the tied up, he did not pause to consider whether it would be wise to separate himself from his friends, but darted off at full speed, and in due time reached the spot He hurriedly built up a nuy stuff to start the blaze, wishi+ng the while that he could see a fir ith its as were strong and promised to burn well, so he proceeded next to collect the weather-worn fragments of coal, which had from time to time crumbled down from above, rent away by the frost These were scattered here and there, h to begin with, and bore theination, as he worked, delicious steaks of deer frizzling

He had pressed the bushy scrub down hard to lanced at the pieces of coal ready to hand, and now began to search his pocket for the little brass box of matches he carried, when as he knelt down there were footsteps behind hi

”That you, Watty?” he said, without looking round ”Bother the box!

Here, Watty, got any matches?” _Phoo_!

A deep-toned expiration of the breath was the answer, and the boy turned his head, to find that, not three yards fro fur had quite a pale golden tinge in the sunshi+ne, was literally towering over his with fore paws extended as if to catch hi over the fireplace was of a kind that, improved by practice, was sufficiently fine to pro ju certainly reat beast, which must have stood up some seven feet, had now dropped on all fours and was in full chase

For choice Steve would have run toward his friends, but he had no option The bear blocked the way in that direction; on his right there was the rapid rise of the y; before him the way open toward the mouth of the valley where they had left the boat, and naturally this way he ran, hoping that the bear would soon tire of the pursuit, and believing in his power to run ood, for it was encumbered with blocks of stone that had fallen from above; but Steve felt that they must be as bad for the bear as for hi off his bonnet to hold it in one hand as he ran

He glanced over his shoulder, and there was the bear appearing to shuffle along clureat rate of speed, which told the lad that he need do his best; but he consoled hiry, the bear would not follow hi; on the other hand, if famished, it would keep on and tire him out, and then--

Steve obstinately refused to let his ihts were too horrible; and, et clear away he would never feel any coain, but would do his best to become the owner of its rich, whitish fur, he tore on as hard as he could go, fully conscious of the fact that the bear, though some yards behind, was determined to tire him out and run him down

The way now becalanced at the opening to the narrow ravine on his right, for there was no temptation to leave the broad, open way for a stone-encumbered defile

No temptation then; but the nextthe satisfaction of distancing his pursuer, when his heart sank, and a curdling sensation of horror so convulsed him that he dropped his cap, and pressed his hands to his throat; for there, fifty yards in front, and co toward hi hard

Danger behind, danger before, and between them death without mercy

There was only one way out of the peril, and that was to run back and turn up the narrow defile

It was a desperate venture, for the first bear was lu; in fact, would have passed it before the boy could reach the haven of comparative safety if it had not stopped suddenly in surprise at seeing the quarry so suddenly turn round and see to meet him, the bear suddenly raised itself up, and, with outstretched claaited Steve's approach It was all over in abear that the beast struck at hiht paw, and nearly touched the boy's shoulder; but the next instant he was beyond reach, and running up the defile

There was no bounding over the ground, though, here, for the place was, as has been shown, encumbered with fallen blocks; and Steve's heart, which the moment before rose with a leap at the way in which he had eluded the bears, sank once h of the natural history of these beasts and their construction to feel that, though they had left the ice for a prowl around as he was traversing

”I've only put it off for a bit,” he said to hiht only roused hih,” he muttered, and, forced as he was to slacken his speed, he had the satisfaction of seeing, on glancing back along the glooe, that the bears were also co rocks as he had done And it was plural, for the second one had joined the first, and they were co with terrible plainness in the gloo the rocks

The breathless rush, then, was over; but the progress, though sloas terribly hard work, and that which depressed the lad reat brutes made no hurry or fuss over their pursuit, but came deliberately on, as if quite sure of the result, and prepared to follow even if it were for days

”And I thought it so glorious to be always daylight and sunshi+ne,” said Steve Oh, if it would only coht ever known, so that he could take advantage of the ht and left, and crawl into one of them till the bears had passed!

He looked back just as this idea crossed his mind, and once more a chill of dread came over him For the defile was a little more open at the top just then, so that he could see the actions of the bears plainly as they cae now that they were not hunting hih, as a rule, they ca with their noses in the air, every now and then they lowered their erly about sorunts