his breast laid bare by the cruel claws of the
bear, deathly pale and to all appearances dead. One look at the bear
showed Pierre that it was dead. He hauled it with difficulty off his
boy's legs and then felt his heart.

"At first, he could distinguish no movement and he was almost overcome
by grief, but a slight heart movement galvanized him into action. He at
once looked around and seeing a spring a short distance away, he ran,
and filling his coonskin cap with water he was back by the side of the
boy in a moment. Signs of life finally returned and Jean was soon
looking around trying with glazed eyes to come back from the Happy
Hunting Grounds to which his soul had just paid such a fleeting visit.
In a short time, father and son were fully back to consciousness but it
was only after a night spent right there that they felt like real live
men again.

"Jean had a very ugly slash across his chest and the father felt sure
that at least two of his ribs had been broken by the savage blow the
bear had dealt him. Though pretty sore himself, he felt fairly well,
though his scalp wound left no doubt that he had come near to death.
They camped there that day enjoying the bear steaks and getting off the
skin. In fact, it was not until two days later, that they set out on the
back trail. Then, though they presented a rather dilapidated appearance,
they managed to carry off the skin of the bear and the best portions of
the meat. Jean with his broken ribs went light and then had trouble in
following his sturdy father, who thought very little of having tackled a
bear with his hunting knife. Pierre told me," concluded Bob, "that he
found that the death stroke given the bear was dealt by his hunting
knife just as the bear closed in on him."

"What a narrow escape! And I guess they think such events are
commonplace. Let's go up to their tents and ask them to show us the
scars," said Pud.

"Don't you believe Pierre, then?" asked Mr. Anderson.

"Sure," said Pud, "but I would like to see the scars. It would make the
whole story more real."

Thereupon the boys went up to the tent and Bob talked to Pierre in
French. Pierre then pulled back the hair and showed the boys a white
scar across his head and Jean showed them a ragged scar that made Pud's
flesh creep.

"Gee," said Pud, "that bear must have given Jean some rip. Ask Pierre
how he got that wound to heal."

Bob did so and Pierre explained that he put some healing herbs on the