stood amazed and appalled at Neewa's appetite in the days
of their cubhood and puppyhood a year ago, he was more than astounded
now, for in the matter of food Neewa was a bottomless pit. On the other
hand he was jollier than ever, and in their wrestling matches he was
almost more than a match for Miki, being nearly again as heavy. He very
soon acquired the habit of taking advantage of this superiority of
weight, and at unexpected moments he would hop on Miki and pin him to
the ground, his fat body smothering him like a huge soft cushion, and
his arms holding him until at times Miki could scarcely squirm. Now and
then, hugging him in this embrace, he would roll over and over, both of
them snarling and growling as though in deadly combat. This play,
though he was literally the under dog, delighted Miki until one day
they rolled over the edge of a deep ravine and crashed in a
dog-and-bear avalanche to the bottom. After that, for a long time,
Neewa did not roll with his victim. Whenever Miki wanted to end a bout,
however, all he had to do was to give Neewa a sharp nip with his long
fangs and the bear would uncoil himself and hop to his feet like a
spring. He had a most serious respect for Miki's teeth.

But Miki's greatest moments of joy were where Neewa stood up
man-fashion. Then was a real tussle. And his greatest hours of disgust
were when Neewa stretched himself out in a tree for a nap.

It was the beginning of the third week before they came one day to the
cabin. There was no change in it, and Miki's body sagged disconsolately
as he and Neewa looked at it from the edge of the clearing. No smoke,
no sign of life, and the window was broken now--probably by an
inquisitive bear or a wolverine. Miki went to the window and stood up
to it, sniffing inside. The SMELL was still there--so faint that he
could only just detect it. But that was all. The big room was empty
except for the stove, a table and a few bits of rude furniture. All
else was gone. Three or four times during the next half hour Miki stood
up at the window, and at last Neewa--urged by his curiosity--did
likewise. He also detected the faint odour that was left in the cabin.
He sniffed at it for a long time. It was like the smell he had caught
the day he came out of his den--and yet different. It was fainter, more
elusive, and not so unpleasant.

For a month thereafter Miki insisted on hunting in the vicinity of the
cabin, held there by the "pull" of the thing