fore they could reach the horses and loose them.
They resolved, therefore, to make a stand. Basil, who had been at the
killing of a black bear before now, was not so much afraid of the
encounter; so he and Lucien held their rifles in readiness to give Bruin
a warm reception.

The latter came lumbering on, until he had reached the place where the
alligator lay. The reptile had turned itself half round, and was now
standing on its short legs, lengthwise along the path, puffing like a
pair of blacksmith's bellows. The bear, intent upon his pursuit of
Francois, did not see it until he had stumbled right upon its body; and
then, uttering a loud snort, he leaped to one side. This gave the
alligator the very opportunity he would have sought; and the next moment
his powerful tail was lashed with such force against the bear, that the
ribs of the latter were heard to crack under the blow.

The bear--who would otherwise have left the alligator to himself--became
so infuriated at this unprovoked assault, that he turned and sprang upon
his new enemy, seizing him round the body in a firm hug. Both struggled
over the ground, the one growling and snorting, while the other uttered
a sound like the routing of a bull.

How long the conflict would have lasted, and which would have proved
victor had they been left to themselves, is not known; for Basil and
Lucien both fired, wounding the bear. This caused him to relax his hug,
and he now seemed anxious to get off; but the reptile had seized one of
his feet in his powerful jaws and thus held him fast, all the while
crawling and dragging him down to the water. The bear was evidently
aware of the intention of his antagonist, and uttered loud and pitiful
moanings, at times screaming like a hog under the knife of the butcher.
It was all to no purpose. His unrelenting enemy gained the bank; and
dragging him along, plunged into the deep water. Both went down
together--completely disappearing from the eyes of the spectators--and
although the boys watched for nearly an hour, neither beast nor reptile
were seen to rise again to the surface. The bear no doubt had been
drowned at once, and the alligator, after having suffocated him, had
hidden his carcass in the mud, or dragged it along the bottom to some
other part of the bayou--there to make a meal of it at his leisure.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

ABOUT ALLIGATORS.

The boys now returned to their tent, impressed with curious feelings by
the