a low growl.
Turning round, the light from the fire revealed to me a huge hairy
creature not ten paces off.

It was a bear! but whether a black or a grizzly I could not make out.
The latter would prove a formidable enemy, and I knew that if I ran
towards the fire he would run after me. I therefore stood where I was,
cocking my piece and shouting loudly to my companions, "A bear! a bear!
Up, up, or he'll be upon us."

In a moment they all three, awakened by my cries, started to their feet.

"Don't fire," cried Alick, "till we are ready; or should you only wound
him, he'll make a rush at you."

Alick's advice was sound, though it lost us the bear; for the animal,
seeing so many opponents ready to do battle with him, turned tail and
ran off through the forest. We followed for a short distance, but he
made his way amid the trees much faster than we could; and not knowing
the nature of the locality, Alick thought it wiser to return.

The glare of the fire enabled us to regain our camp without difficulty,
or otherwise we might have lost ourselves in the gloom of the forest.
This incident showed us the importance of being constantly on the watch;
for the bear, if a grizzly, might have picked one of us up before we
were aware of his vicinity. After this, during the remainder of my
watch, I had no inclination to sleep; but the moment Martin relieved me,
I was in the land of dreams, or rather forgetfulness, for neither bears
nor swans, nor any of the events of the previous days, in the slightest
degree troubled me.

Next morning Robin's voice--he having taken the last watch--aroused us
at daybreak; and making a hearty breakfast on the remainder of our swan,
we set to work to continue the repairs of our canoe. It was a long job,
but we hoped that it was effectually done.

Some hours had passed since sunrise, and we could not hope to accomplish
much of our voyage before nightfall.

"I wish we had some of that bear," said Martin. "We must try to get
some fish, or something better, for dinner. It won't be worth while to
carry these swans with us; will it?"

"Don't let us throw away what will keep body and soul together till we
have procured something better," answered Alick, who wisely considered
that many hours might pass before we could replace what had taken so
much trouble to obtain.

We put the birds into the canoe, and followed by Bouncer took our seats.
The repairs on which we had bestowed so much labour wer