a gruff growl; and now, nearer at hand the roar,
the howl, the scream, the growl--all heard at once in a savage chorus.
He knew them but too well, and their sound struck a terror into his
heart, which even the thought of approaching death had not awakened. Up
again he sprang, exhausted as he was, to fly for the life which, but the
moment before, he would fain have resigned. As he turned to flee he
threw a fearful glance behind him, and through the chinks of the forest
caught sight of a bear, a panther, a wolf and a bison bull, coming
swiftly on and making directly toward him. For more than this he waited
not, but, with a despairing cry to his father for help; to his mother
for--it were hard to say what--away he sped, as if his moccasins had
taken the wings of the wind.

Through darksome wood and glimmering glade, over rugged hill and tangled
vale, the Manitou race went on--the sky all blue and serene above them;
the setting sun all bright and smiling before them. At every fearful
glance cast behind him the young fugitive could perceive that his
pursuers were gaining upon him. Anon, they were so close upon him that
he could see their eyes, glaring like balls of fire. And now were they
treading upon his very shadow, their smoking breath blown hot upon his
ears and neck. Again went up the despairing cry to father; to mother.
And they did hear it; would have heard it had they been in their graves!

The cry was still in the air, when a young bear shot forward, wheeled
about, and rearing himself up square before him, snatched his cap from
his head. His cap was still in the air, when it was replaced by a green
coronal, at whose magic touch the whole scene assumed at once a totally
different aspect. The grisly shape before him was not a rampant bear,
but Manitou-Echo himself, bareheaded, somewhat excited, but not in the
least degree short of breath. His other pursuers, appearing now in their
true shapes to the fugitive, proved also to be but elves, each wearing
the skin of the beast, whose whole likeness he wore but now, and showing
an aspect, wild and savage enough, yet which would not have been
unbeautiful to innocent eyes. With a bland smile and light wave of the
hand, thus speaks Manitou-Echo:

"Bravely done, Sprigg! Bravely done! You have run a magnificent race! We
never saw a young human thing acquit himself in handsomer style! Why,
sir, we were beginning to think your shadow was all we were likely to
catch! But here we