d see!" advised Will.

Sandy paid no attention to the remark, but kept on fishing, following on
down stream until he was some yards in advance of his chum.

So interested was he in the sport in which he was engaged that he
thought no more of what had been said to him regarding the bear until a
pistol shot reached his ears.

Then he glanced quickly in the rear, taking in the whole line of the
hillside at one glance.

Just at that moment the whole landscape seemed to consist principally of
bear! Will had wounded a great brown bear, and he was charging down
toward the place where Sandy stood. The boy drew his automatic and faced
about, hardly knowing what else to do, as the creek was too wide to leap
across. The bear came on with a rush.

"Run!" shouted Will.

"I guess you'll have to show me a place to run to!" Sandy shouted back.
"This bear seems to have taken possession of about all the territory
there is on this side of the creek."

"Shoot, you dunce, shoot before he gets up to you!" shouted Will. "If he
gets one swipe at you with that paw, you'll land out in the Gulf of
Alaska! Fill him full of lead!"

Sandy began firing, but the bear came steadily on.

"You'll have to swim for it!" shouted Will in a moment. "You mustn't let
that big brute get near enough to hand you one with that educated left
of his. Jump in and swim and I'll help pull you out!"

Sandy looked at the creek and shivered. The water looked blue, as if
shivering from the cold. He faced about and decided to take a few more
shots at the bear before risking his life in the cold water.

"You'll have to jump!" Will shouted from the other side.

"I wouldn't have to jump," Sandy cried back, "If you'd do more shooting
and less talking! Go on and use up your lead!"

In the excitement of the time, Will had, indeed, forgotten to keep his
automatic busy. He now began shooting as fast as the weapon would carry
the lead away, and bruin seemed to take offense at the activity with
which the bullets flew about him. He was bleeding in several places, and
was in a perfect frenzy of rage.

"I guess that's an armored bear!" Will shouted across the creek. "I
don't believe our bullets have any effect on him!"

By this time the bear was within a few paces of Sandy. The boy's
automatic was empty now, yet he obstinately refused to spring into the
water. Bruin reached out one paw and Sandy ducked, coming up behind the
clumsy animal and landed a blow with the butt