They were about the size of wolves, but appeared to be quite black, and not like wolves at all. What could they be? They had suddenly passed into a darker aisle among the trees, and the boys had only caught a glimpse of them as they went in. They could still distinguish their two bodies in the shade, but nothing more.

They remained in this position, straining their eyes up the gloomy alley after the two black objects, that had stopped about fifty yards distant. All at once, the form of a man rose up before them, and directly in front of the animals. Instead of retreating from the latter, as the boys expected, the upright figure stood still. To their further astonishment, the two animals ran up to it, and appeared to leap against it, as if making an attack upon it. But this could not be, since the figure did not move from its place, as one would have done who had been attacked: on the contrary, after a while it stooped down, and appeared to be caressing them.

The three mysterious creatures continued to remain near the same spot, and about fifty yards from the boys. But they did not remain motionless. The two smaller ones ran over the ground, now separating from the upright figure, and then returning again, and appearing to caress it as before. The latter now and then stooped as if to receive their caresses, and would then rise into an upright position, and remain motionless as before. All this went on in perfect silence.

There was something mysterious, awe-inspiring, in these movements; and our young hunters observed them not without feelings of terror. They were both puzzled and awed. They talked in whispers, giving their counsels to each other. Should they creep to their horses, mount, and ride off? That would be of no use; for if what they saw was an Indian, there were, no doubt, others near, and they could easily track and overtake them.

They felt certain that the strange creatures knew they were there; for indeed their horses, some thirty yards off, could be plainly heard stamping the ground and cropping the grass.

Moreover, one of the two animals had touched and smelt Francis; so there could be no mistake about its being aware of their presence. It would be idle, therefore, to attempt getting off unawares.

What then? Should they climb into a tree? That, thought they, would be of just as little use; and they gave up the idea. They resolved, at length, to remain where they were, until they should either be assailed by their mysterious neighbors, or the clearer light might enable them to make out who and what they were.

As it grew clearer, however, their awe was not diminished; for they now saw that the upright figure had two thick, stronglooking arms, which it held out horizontally, using them in a singular manner. Its color, too, appeared reddish, while that of the small animals was deep black. Had they been in the forests of Africa, or in South America, they would have taken the larger figure for that of a gigantic ape. As it was, they knew it could not be that.

The light suddenly became brighter, a cloud having passed off the eastern sky. Objects could be seen more distinctly; and then the mystery that had so long held the young hunters in torturing suspense was solved. The large animal reared up, and stood with its side towards them; and its long, pointed snout, its short, erect ears, its thick body and shaggy coat of hair, showed that it was no Indian, or human creature of any sort, but a huge bear standing upright on its hams. "A she bear and her cubs!" exclaimed Francis; he continued, "she is red, while the cubs are jet black." Basil did not stop for any observation of that kind. He had sprung to his feet, and levelled his rifle, the moment he saw what the animal was.

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"For your life, do not fire!" cried Lucien; "it may be a grisly bear."

His advice came too late. The crack of Basil's rifle was heard ; and the bear, dropping upon all fours, danced over the ground, shaking her head and snorting furiously. The light had

deceived Basil; and instead of hitting her in the head, as he had intended, his bullet glanced from her snout, doing her but little harm. Now, the snout of a bear is its most precious and tender organ; and a blow upon that will rouse even the most timid species of them to fury. So it was with this one. She saw whence the shot came; and as soon as she had given her head a few shakes, she came in a shuffling gallop towards the boys.

Basil now saw how rashly he had acted; but there was no time for expressing regrets. There was not even time to get to their horses. Before they could reach there and unfasten them, the bear would overtake them; and some one of them would become a victim.

"Take to the trees!" shouted Lucien; "if it be a grisly bear, she cannot climb." As Lucien said this, he levelled his short rifle, and fired at the advancing animal. The bullet seemed to strike her on the flank, as she turned with a growl and bit the part. This delayed her for a moment, and allowed Lucien time to swing himself into a tree. Basil had thrown away his rifle, not having time to reload. Francis, when he saw the great monster so near, dropped his gun without firing.

XXI. - THE SAME, CONCLUDED.

ALL three, in their haste, climbed separate trees. It was a grove of white oaks; and these trees have usually great limbs growing low down and spreading out horizontally. These limbs are often as many feet in length as the tree itself is in height.

It was upon these that they had climbed, Basil having taken to that one under which they had slept, and which was much larger than the others around. At the foot of this tree the bear stopped. The robes and blankets drew her attention for the moment. She tossed them over with her great paws, and

then left them, and walked round the trunk, looking upwards, at intervals uttering loud sniffs, that sounded like the escape of a steam pipe.

By this time, Basil had reached the third or fourth branch from the ground. He might have gone much higher; but from what Lucien had suggested, he believed the animal to be a grisly bear. Her color, which was a dark-brown, confirmed him in that belief, as he knew that grisly bears are met with of a great variety of colors. He had nothing to fear, then, even on the lowest branch, and he thought it was no use going higher. So he stopped and looked down.

He had a good view of the animal below; and to his consternation, he saw at a glance that it was not a grisly, but a different species. Her shape, as well as general appearance, convinced him it was the "cinnamon " bear, a variety of the black, and one of the best tree climbers of the kind. This was soon put beyond dispute, as Basil saw the animal throw her great paws around the trunk, and commence crawling upward.

It was a fearful moment. Lucien and Francis both leaped back to the ground, uttering shouts of warning and despair. Francis picked up his gun, and without hesitating a moment, ran to the foot of the tree, and fired both barrels into the hips of the bear. The small shot could hardly have penetrated her thick, shaggy hide. It only served to irritate her afresh, causing her to growl fiercely; and she paused for some moments, as if considering whether she should descend and punish the enemy in the rear, or keep on after Basil. The rattling of the latter among the branches above decided her, and on she crawled upwards.

Basil was almost as active among the branches of a tree as a monkey or a squirrel. When about sixty feet from the ground, he crawled out upon a long limb that grew horizontally. He chose this one because he saw another growing above it, which, he thought, he might reach as soon as the bear followed him out upon the first, and by this means get back to

the main trunk before the bear, and down to the ground again.

After getting out upon the limb, however, he saw that he had miscalculated. The branch upon which he was, bending down under his weight, so widened the distance between it and the one above, that he could not reach the latter, even with the tips of his fingers. He turned to go back. To his horror, the bear was at the other end, in the fork, and ing to follow him along the limb.

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He could not go back without meeting the fierce brute in the teeth. There was no branch below within his reach, and none above; and he was fifty feet from the ground. To leap down appeared the only alternative to escape the clutches of the bear, and that alternative was certain death.

The bear advanced along the limb. Francis and Lucien screamed below, loading their pieces as rapidly as they could; but they feared they would be too late.

It was a terrible situation; but it was in such emergencies that the strong mind of Basil best displayed itself; and instead of yielding to despair, he appeared cool and collected. His mind was busy examining every chance that offered.

All at once a thought struck him; and obedient to its impulse, he called to his brothers below,

"A rope! a rope! Fling me a rope! Haste! for Heaven's sake, haste! a rope, or I am lost!"

Fortunately, there lay a rope under the tree. It was a lasso* of raw hide. Lucien dropped his half-loaded rifle, and sprang towards it, coiling it as he took it up. He ran under the tree, twirled the lasso round his head, and launched it upwards.

Basil, to gain time, had crept out upon the limb as far as it would bear him, while his fierce pursuer followed after. The branch, under their united weight, bent downward like a bow. Fortunately, it was oak, and did not break.

* The lasso is a rope, or cord, with a noose, used in various parts of North and South America for capturing animals.