s
beneath."

"My brother was in danger," said the chief, laughing at his mishaps,
"but it was not equal to one of my warriors who, with me, went out once
to recover some horses the thieving Crows had driven away. We found the
horses, and starting for home had proceeded about a mile, when we
discovered a whole army of the Crows start in pursuit. Our only hope of
safety for ourselves lay in flight, and abandoning our horses for which
we had risked our lives, we went scouring through the forest at a
furious rate. The animals we rode were jaded, and those of our pursuers
fresh, and we soon saw they gained upon us, and abandoning our horses
behind a sharp curve that hid us from sight, we made them gallop away,
and then betook ourselves to trees for safety. In ten minutes after the
Crows galloped past us, leaving us safely secreted in the friendly
branches in which we had taken shelter. Shognaw had climbed a large
beech tree that stood within a few feet of the one in which I had taken
shelter. I once or twice thought I heard a growl like that uttered by
cubs, but the excitement I felt for our safety, dispelled it the next
moment. As soon as we were left alone, and the sounds of the pursuers
died away in the distance, I felt some alarm, for I knew if there were
cubs about, the old bear would dislodge us, and, in all probability,
our retreat would be discovered by some straggling Crows. At that
moment, Shognaw, calling my attention in a low tone, said, 'I have got
into a bear's hole, full of young cubs, what shall I do? for the old
one will not be away long, as she, on finding a commotion raised by the
Crows will, for her own safety, take refuge in her den.'

"'We cannot fight her, that is certain,' said I, 'for we should then be
discovered; but, if we watch our chance, we may get away from this
spot, and find safety in some other, but we must be very cautious that
no Crows are in sight first.'

"'I think there are none now,' he replied, not at all relishing the
idea of trespassing on the domicil of madam Bruin.

"'Hist! there they are,' said I, as we saw a number of them come
yelling towards us, and on looking again, I discovered them in pursuit
of something which, in a few minutes, bounded from a clump of bushes
and made for the tree in which Shognaw had hid, and then to our dismay,
we saw it was the old bear pursued by the Crows. He too saw her coming,
and ascended to the topmost branches high above the hole, and well he