tself. It made a few paces
towards the camp, and then turned back into the forest.

He looked round the camp. No one else seemed to have noticed. The squaws
continued their occupations just as before. Dusty Star kept his eyes
continually moving along the line of trees, always returning to the spot
where the thing had disappeared. And although he saw nothing more, he
was convinced he had not been mistaken. The shape had been that of a
bear.

A long time had passed when one of the squaws suddenly screamed. Looking
in the direction of the cry, Dusty Star saw an enormous grizzly walking
slowly towards the tepees.

Instantly the whole camp was in wild confusion. Squaws ran in every
direction, snatching up their babies, and screaming at the tops of their
voices. Several of the more courageous old men advanced towards the
grizzly, waving their arms and trying to frighten him back; but when,
growling fiercely, he broke into a run towards them, they turned and
joined the women in their flight. It was in vain that the huskies
circled round him in a snarling, furious ring. He broke the neck of one
which had rashly ventured within the range of his deadly fore paw, and
wounded another. As he charged the pack, it broke before his murderous
onset and fled yelling into the woods.

Dusty Star ran quickly into the tepee and began feverishly to try to
unfasten the thong which bound him, while the screaming of the women,
and the yelping of the huskies continued. Presently, a sharp, rending
noise told him that the grizzly had attacked either a tepee, or one of
the parfleches in it. The tearing noise continued for some time and then
ceased. After that there was silence in the camp, the inhabitants having
by this time taken refuge in the woods. And still the thong resisted his
utmost efforts to unfasten it. Then, just as he was about to peep out to
see what was happening, he heard something approaching.

Instantly he crawled under a buffalo robe, and lay there, shaking from
head to foot. Something entered the tepee. Dusty Star did not dare to
look. He felt the thong that bound him violently tugged: he heard, or
thought he heard, a muffled growl. The next moment, the robe was
snatched from his head, and he saw--not the grizzly--but old Kitsomax
with a hunting knife in her hand.

"Quick! Quick!" she cried. "I have cut the thong. He is coming! He is
coming!"

Dusty Star leaped from the couch. As he did so, Kitsomax gave a scream.

The