male grizzly not a hundred feet away.

The grizzly appeared to be very greatly astonished at this sudden
invasion of man into his hitherto undisputed realm of rocks, and a
little offended. With a deep bass-drum-like "huff, huff," he reared his
huge body up on his hind legs, and, turning his wicked little eyes on
them, uttered a deep warning growl, as much as to say: "Now, if you men
will turn right around and go back, I will not harm you."

"Shall we shoot?" asked Thure, cocking his rifle.

"No, not if the brute will get out of our way," answered Rex. "We have
no time to fool with grizzlies," and, cocking his own rifle, he started
straight toward the grizzly.

The growl of the bear deepened, and he made no sign of giving way to the
intruders.

"All right, old man," and Rex stopped and threw his rifle to his
shoulder. "Stand ready to fire, if my bullet fails to bring him down,"
he warned, as his eye glanced swiftly along the rifle barrel.

But Rex Holt was one of the best rifle shots in California, and knew
exactly where to send his bullet in order to make it instantly fatal;
and there was no need of a second shot, for almost at the instant of the
crack of his rifle, the huge beast, with a deep startled, "huff," and a
staggering leap toward them, tumbled sprawlingly to the ground, as if
all his tough muscles had been suddenly turned to hot tallow, and with a
few quiverings, the great frame lay still.

"No time to bother with him now. Let him lay there for the present. Come
on," and Rex, pausing by the side of the grizzly only long enough to
assure himself that the monster was dead, hurried on up the canyon.

For half an hour longer they struggled on over the broken rocks that
covered the bottom of the canyon; and then they came to where the canyon
made an abrupt turn, and, widening out a little, ran straight ahead for
half a mile or more.

The moment they made this turn and looked up the clear stretch of
canyon, all uttered a shout of triumph. Some two hundred yards from them
and near the east wall of the canyon grew a huge oak tree; and, perhaps
a hundred yards farther up the canyon, stood a tall pillar of white
rock.

"The Big Tree!" yelled Thure exultingly, starting on the run for the
tree.

"Lot's Wife!" shouted Bud, racing along after Thure.

Rex and Dill and Dickson hastened after the excited boys; and, in a few
minutes, all stood beneath the giant branches of the great oak.

The tree was some seve