always acceptable meat to a settler, and I at once
decided to stalk the brute and pack his carcass to the Grisdol cabin.

After the first moment he passed behind some trees, but as I continued to
glimpse him I knew he had not taken alarm. I slid from my horse and
started him down the trace, and then ducked into the grove and rapidly
descended toward the brook. I had no fear of my horse losing himself, as
he would make for the stream where I would join him within a few minutes.

As I flitted from tree to tree I repeatedly sighted the animal as he poked
his nose about in search of ants or grubs, and yet when I reached a point
within sixty or seventy-five yards of where he should have been feeding I
could not locate him.

A half-formed suspicion popped into my mind from nowhere. My horse had
shown no nervousness in drawing nearer to the bear. The bushes prevented
my seeing the horse, but I could hear him as he quickened his pace to
reach the tumbling brook. Now for a second I saw the bear again, and my
suspicion grew stronger.

The brute impressed me as being very lean, whereas the season was enough
advanced to have grown some fat on his bones. I was fairly startled next
to behold the creature emerge from behind a tree and walk upright toward
the opening made by the brook, cutting across the trace. Had I not been
partly primed for the surprise I should have been astounded at my second
discovery; the bear was armed with a gun.

Expecting to behold me on the horse when the animal reached the brook the
fellow's only thought was to remain unseen by any one in the trace. He
halted behind a tree, but in full view of me, and standing with his left
side exposed to me. Had I the instincts of a killer I would have shot him
forthwith, and as he was obviously stalking me, having discovered I was
traveling over the trace, I would have been justified. As it was I
whistled shrilly.

Like a flash the bearskin fell back and a painted Shawnee wheeled to face
me. Even as he turned his smoothbore banged away and half a dozen buckshot
rained through the branches over my head. He was slipping behind the tree
when I fired.

He went down with a foot and part of his leg exposed. Controlling an
impulse to close in I reloaded, taking great care in wrapping the greased
patch about the bullet. I believed I had done for him, but to make sure I
sent another pellet through the exposed foot. It twitched, as a dead limb
will, but without muscular re