cautiously, with his arrow in the string and his shield shifted round
his shoulder, in readiness for instant action. Suddenly, upon turning a
sharp corner of the cliff, he saw it widened ten feet ahead into a
sort of platform lying in the angle of the cliff, which beyond it again
jutted out. On this platform was a bear, which with an angry growl at
once advanced towards him. Malchus discharged his arrow; it struck the
bear full on the chest, and penetrated deeply. With a stroke of his paw
the animal broke the shaft asunder and rushed forward. Malchus threw
forward the point of his spear, and with his shield on his arm awaited
the onset He struck the bear fairly on the chest, but, as before, it
snapped the shaft with its paw, and rising to its feet advanced.

"Kneel, my lord!" Nessus exclaimed.

Malchus dropped on one knee, bracing himself as firmly as he could
against the rock, and, with his shield above his head and his sword in
his hand, awaited the attack of the enraged animal. He heard the twang
of the bow behind him; then he felt a mighty blow, which beat down his
shield and descended with terrible force upon his helmet, throwing him
forward on to his face. Then there was a heavy blow on his back; and it
was well for him that he had on backpiece as well as breastplate, or the
flesh would have been torn from his shoulder to his loins. As the blow
fell there was an angry roar. For a moment he felt crushed by a weight
which fell upon him. This was suddenly removed, and he heard a crash far
below as the bear, pierced to the heart by the Arab's spear, fell over
the precipice. Nessus hastened to raise him.

"My lord is not hurt, I hope?"

"In no way, Nessus, thanks to you; but my head swims and my arm is well
nigh broken with that blow. Who would have thought a beast like that
could have struck so hard? See, he has dented in my helmet and has bent
my shield! Now, before we go back and search for the body, let us see
what its den is like."

"Do you take my spear, my lord; your own is broken, and your bow has
gone over the precipice. It may be that there is another bear here.
Where one is, the other is seldom far off."

They advanced on to the platform, and saw in the corner of the angle
a cave entering some distance into the hill. As they approached the
entrance a deep growl was heard within.

"We had best leave it alone, my lord," Nessus said as they both recoiled
a step at the entrance. "This is doubtless the f