74 TRUE BEAR STORIES.

kick up your heels and enjoy yourself?
Never. We will die together!” he shouted.

He started for me as fast as his short
legs would allow. The bear struck at him
with her long, rattling claws. He landed
far below me, and when he got up he
hardly knew where he was or what he was.
His clothes were in shreds, the back and
bottom parts of them. The bear caught at
his trout and was gone in an instant back
with her two little cubs, and a moment
later the little family had dined and was
away, over the hill. She was a cinnamon
‘bear, not much bigger than a big, yellow
dog, and almost as lean and mean and hun-
gry as any wolf could possibly be. We
helped our inexperienced little friend
slowly down to camp, forgetting all about
the bacon and the fish till we came to the
little board house, where we had coffee.
Of course the editor could not go to the
table now. He leaned, or rather sat, against
a pine, drank copious cups of coffee and
watched the stars, while I heaped up great