sighted the grizzly.

In the moonlight he looked of immense size, and that wild park with
the gloomy blackness of forest furnished a fit setting for him. Helen's
quick mind, so taken up with emotion, still had a thought for the wonder
and the meaning of that scene. She wanted the bear killed, yet that
seemed a pity.

He had a wagging, rolling, slow walk which took several moments to reach
his quarry. When at length he reached it he walked around with sniffs
plainly heard and then a cross growl. Evidently he had discovered that
his meal had been messed over. As a whole the big bear could be seen
distinctly, but only in outline and color. The distance was perhaps two
hundred yards. Then it looked as if he had begun to tug at the carcass.
Indeed, he was dragging it, very slowly, but surely.

"Look at that!" whispered Dale. "If he ain't strong!... Reckon I'll have
to stop him."

The grizzly, however, stopped of his own accord, just outside of the
shadow-line of the forest. Then he hunched in a big frosty heap over his
prey and began to tear and rend.

"Jess was a mighty good horse," muttered Dale, grimly; "too good to make
a meal for a hog silvertip."

Then the hunter silently rose to a kneeling position, swinging the
rifle in front of him. He glanced up into the low branches of the tree
overhead.

"Girls, there's no tellin' what a grizzly will do. If I yell, you climb
up in this tree, an' do it quick."

With that he leveled the rifle, resting his left elbow on his knee. The
front end of the rifle, reaching out of the shade, shone silver in the
moonlight. Man and weapon became still as stone. Helen held her breath.
But Dale relaxed, lowering the barrel.

"Can't see the sights very well," he whispered, shaking his head.
"Remember, now--if I yell you climb!"

Again he aimed and slowly grew rigid. Helen could not take her
fascinated eyes off him. He knelt, bareheaded, and in the shadow she
could make out the gleam of his clear-cut profile, stern and cold.

A streak of fire and a heavy report startled her. Then she heard the
bullet hit. Shifting her glance, she saw the bear lurch with convulsive
action, rearing on his hind legs. Loud clicking snaps must have been a
clashing of his jaws in rage. But there was no other sound. Then again
Dale's heavy gun boomed. Helen heard again that singular spatting thud
of striking lead. The bear went down with a flop as if he had been dealt
a terrific blow. But just as quickly