hat, although naturally unable to climb, he reached
and seized the bear's flank, despite his master's stern order to "keep
back," and in a moment the two rolled down the face of the rock
together, just as Dick completed loading.

Knowing that one stroke of the bear's paw would be certain death to his
poor dog, Dick leaped from his perch, and, with one bound reached the
ground at the same moment with the struggling animals, and close beside
them, and, before they had ceased rolling, he placed the muzzle of his
rifle into the bear's ear, and blew out its brains.

Crusoe, strange to say, escaped with only one scratch on the side. It
was a deep one, but not dangerous, and gave him but little pain at the
time, although it caused him many a smart for some weeks after.

Thus happily ended Dick's first encounter with a grizzly bear; and
although, in the course of his wild life he shot many specimens of
"Caleb," he used to say that "he an' pup were never so near goin' under
as on the day he dropped _that_ bar!"

Having refreshed himself with a long draught from a neighbouring
rivulet, and washed Crusoe's wound, Dick skinned the bear on the spot.

"We chawed him up that time, didn't we, pup?" said Dick, with a smile of
satisfaction, as he surveyed his prize.

Crusoe looked up and assented to this.

"Gave us a hard tussle, though; very nigh sent us both under, didn't he,
pup!"

Crusoe agreed entirely, and, as if the remark reminded him of honourable
scars, he licked his wound.

"Ah, pup!" cried Dick, sympathetically, "does it hurt ye, eh, poor dog?"

Hurt him! such a question! No, he should think not; better ask if that
leap from the precipice hurt yourself.

So Crusoe might have said, but he didn't; he took no notice of the
remark whatever.

"We'll cut him up now, pup," continued Dick. "The skin 'll make a
splendid bed for you an me o' nights, and a saddle for Charlie."

Dick cut out all the claws of the bear by the roots, and spent the
remainder of that night in cleaning them and stringing them on a strip
of leather to form a necklace. Independently of the value of these
enormous claws (the largest as long as a man's middle finger) as an
evidence of prowess, they formed a remarkably graceful collar, which
Dick wore round his neck ever after with as much pride as if he had been
a Pawnee warrior.

When it was finished he held it out at arm's length, and said, "Crusoe,
my pup, ain't ye proud of it? I'll tell y