ain, and he looked at the barrel
in a puzzled and aggrieved sort of way, as if he half
suspected it of having played him some sort of practical
joke.

In spite of the peril of her situation Dorothy could not
restrain a peal of laughter. A town-bred girl would
doubtless have been still shaking with terror, but this
was a lass o' the prairie, accustomed to danger. Besides,
she saw now that to reach her would cost the bear more
skill and agility than he appeared to possess.

The barrel, being in a species of hollow, rolled back
and rocked itself into its former position.

The bear walked round it, sniffing and inspecting it in
quite a professional manner. Then, not without a certain
amount of side--also quite professional--he prepared to
have another try.

He sprang more carefully this time, but he did it so as
to put the momentum the other way. The result was that
he rocked wildly backwards and forwards for about a
minute, and managed to stay on the barrel as a novice
might on a plunging horse, until the inevitable collapse
came. The barrel took a wilder lurch forward than it had
yet done, and Bruin dived backwards this time. He came
down with such a thud, and in such an awkward position,
that Dorothy made sure his neck was broken. To tell the
truth, Bruin thought so himself. He actually had not the
moral courage to move for a few moments, lest he should,
indeed, find this to be the case. Even when he did move,
he was not too sure of it, and looked the very sickest
bear imaginable.

But a bear's head and neck are about the toughest things
going in anatomy, so after Bruin had carefully moved his
about for a little to make sure that nothing serious was
the matter, he again turned his attention to the girl.
His stock of patience was by this time nearly exhausted,
and he glared up at her in a peculiarly spiteful fashion.
Then, suddenly seized by a violent fit of energy, he
leapt upon the barrel again with the determination to
show this girl what he really could do when put to it
But, owing to the previous hard usage the barrel had
received, some of the staves had started, the result was
that it collapsed in a most thorough manner.

In addition to the surprise and shock sustained by the
bear, his limbs got inextricably mixed up with the iron
hoops, and he looked for all the world as if he were
performing some juggling feat with them. One hoop had
somehow got round his neck and right fore leg at the same
time, w