splashed through the cold
water and began jerkily to climb the other bank.

As soon as the rider's head rose above the bank his hand grabbed the rifle,
for there in full sight were five Grizzly Bears, an old one and four cubs.

"Run for the woods," growled the Mother Grizzly, for she knew that men
carried guns. Not that she feared for herself; but the idea of such things
among her darlings was too horrible to think of. She set off to guide them
to the timber-tangle on the Lower Piney. But an awful, murderous fusillade
began.

[Illustration]

_Bang!_ and Mother Grizzly felt a deadly pang.

_Bang!_ and poor little Fuzz rolled over with a scream of pain and lay
still.

With a roar of hate and fury Mother Grizzly turned to attack the enemy.

_Bang!_ and she fell paralyzed and dying with a high shoulder shot. And
the three little cubs, not knowing what to do, ran back to their Mother.

_Bang! bang!_ and Mooney and Frizzle sank in dying agonies beside her, and
Wahb, terrified and stupefied, ran in a circle about them. Then, hardly
knowing why, he turned and dashed into the timber-tangle, and disappeared
as a last _bang_ left him with a stinging pain and a useless, broken hind
paw.

* * * * *

That is why the post-office was called Four-Bears. The Colonel seemed
pleased with what he had done; indeed, he told of it himself.

[Illustration]

But away up in the woods of Anderson's Peak that night a little lame
Grizzly might have been seen wandering, limping along, leaving a bloody
spot each time he tried to set down his hind paw; whining and whimpering,
"Mother! Mother! Oh, Mother, where are you?" for he was cold and hungry,
and had such a pain in his foot. But there was no Mother to come to him,
and he dared not go back where he had left her, so he wandered aimlessly
about among the pines.

[Illustration]

Then he smelled some strange animal smell and heard heavy footsteps; and
not knowing what else to do, he climbed a tree. Presently a band of great,
long-necked, slim-legged animals, taller than his Mother, came by under the
tree. He had seen such once before and had not been afraid of them then,
because he had been with his Mother. But now he kept very quiet in the
tree, and the big creatures stopped picking the grass when they were near
him, and blowing their noses, ran out of sight.

[Illustration]

He stayed in the tree till near morning, and the