ustomer if he turned on us. He's
as big as a steer."

"Huh! who's afraid?" demanded Bryce.

"Jest you remember how father was killed," Enoch said, gravely. "Who'd
ha' believed a bull-deer could kill an old hunter like him? You do as I
say!"

So Bryce dropped behind and watched his brother crawl up the side of the
hummock with infinite caution, parting the brush with the barrel of his
rifle, which he held in readiness to use at any instant. Suddenly, from
the heart of the brush clump, there sounded an angry growl. The bear was
not to be taken unawares. And when a big bear growls in anger the sound
is hair-raising to the uninitiated. Bryce felt a chill in the region of
his spine and if his old cap did not actually rise off his head, it
certainly felt as though it would. He was to one side of Nuck's position
so as not to get his brother between him and the bear should the
creature come forth, and suddenly he saw the shaggy head and shoulders
of the beast rise up over the brush. It looked enormous and when the
bear opened its jaws, and displayed its great teeth and blood-red gums,
it was indeed a fearsome spectacle.

"Shoot him! shoot him!" exclaimed Bryce, excitedly. But Nuck remained
comparatively cool--at least, to all appearance. He stood up, too, with
the rifle at his shoulder. The bear stretched wide his great fore-paws
and plunged forward to seize the boy; but the rifle spoke and the smoke
of the piece hid the creature for a moment.

When the cloud passed there was a great commotion in the brush, and
Bryce saw that Nuck had darted back several paces and was rapidly
loading his gun again. The younger boy could not see the bear; but it
was badly wounded without doubt. The thrashing in the brush told that.
Recovering his courage he pushed forward and finally saw the huge brown
body on the ground, writhing in the muscular activity which follows
death. The charge of Nuck's rifle had reached a vital spot.

But something more Bryce saw. A second bear had followed the dead one
from the hollow tree, and the boy observed this one whisk back into the
dark opening between two roots. The tree was all of a dozen feet in
circumference and there was doubtless a good-sized cavity in the tall
trunk. "Come on! come on!" cried Bryce, excitedly. "Here's another,
Nuck."

"Have a care, boy!" responded the older lad. "Don't go too near. It may
turn on us." He hastily finished the loading of his rifle and came up
the hill again. The