Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-07
CHAPTER VIII

on the slope, and as he dreamed he whim
pered softly.
CHAPTER VIM
TUE ledge where Thor ana Nuskwa lay
L caught the first CLEANS Of the morning
sun, and as the sun rose higher the ledg,
grew warmer and warmer and Thor, wher
he awoke. merely stretched himself and
made no effort TO rise After his wounds
and the sapoos oowin and the feast in IN,
valley he was feeling tremendously fin,
and comfortable. and he was in no very
great haste TO leave this golden pool o
sunlight For a long time he looked
steadily and curiously at Muskawa. II
the chill OF the night the little cub hat
Thors huge forearms. and still lay there
whimperlng in his babyish way as h,
dreamed.
After n time Thor did something that h,
had never been guilty OF before--he sniffet
gently at tho soft little ball between hi!
paws. and Just once hS big fiat red tongu,
touched the cubs face; and Muskwa. per
haps still dreaming Of his mother. snugglec
closer.
As little white children have won the
hearts OF savnges who were about 10 slay
them, so Muskwa had come strangely into
the life Of Thor.
The big grizzly was still puzzled No,
only was he struggling against an unac.
countable dislike of all cubs in general, bu,
also against the firmly established habits
of ten years OF aloneness. Yet he was be.
ginning TO comprehend that there was some.
thing very pleasant and companonable ir
the nearness OF Muskwa with the coming
of man new emotion had entered into his
being-perhaps only the spark OF an emo.
ton. Until one has enemies and faces
dangers one cannot fully appreciate friend
ship-and II may be that Thor. who now
confronted real enemies and a real danger
for the first time was beginning TO under
stand what friendship meant. Also, It was
drawing near to his mating season and
about Muskwa was the scent OF his mother
And so as MuskwA continued 10 bask and
dream In the sunshine there was a growing
content in Thor.
He looked down into the valley. simmer
ing in the wet Of the nights rain and he
saw nothing to rouse discomfort; he suited
the air and It was filled with the unporuted
sweetness Of growing grass, of flowers and
balsam and water fresh from the clouds.
Thor began 10 lick his wound. and II was
this movement that reused Muskwa- The
cub lifted his head He blinked at the sun
for a moment. then rubbed his face sleepily
with his tiny paw and stood up. Like all
youngsters, he was ready for another day.
in spite of the hardships and toll OF the
preceding one.
While Thor still lay restfuliy looking
down into the valley Muskwa began In
vestigating the crevices in the rock wall and
tumbled about among the boulders on the
ledge.
From the valley Thor turned his eyes to
the cub. There was curiosity In his attitude
as he watched Muskwa's antics and queer
tumblings among the rocks. Then he rose
cumbrously and shook himself.
ing down into the valley and emitting the
wind. as motionless as though carven out
Of rock. And Muskwa, periking UP his little
ears, came and stood beside him, his sharp
little eyes peering from Thor of into sunlit
space and then back to Thor again. as II
wondering what was about to happen next
The big grizzly answered the question
He turned along the rock shelf and began
descending into the valley. Muskwa
tagged behind. just as he had followed the
day before. The cub felt twice as big and
fully twice as strong as yesterday, and he
no longer was obsessed by that uncom-
Portable yearning for his mothers milk
Thor had graduated him quickly, and he
was a meat-eater, And he knew they were
returning to where they had feasted last
night
They had descended half the distance Of
the slope when the wind brought some-
out OF him as he stopped for a moment, the
thick ruff about his neck bristling omi-
nously The scent he had caught came
from the direction OF his cache, and II was
an odor which he was not in a humor 70
tolerate I'm this particular locality. Strongly
he smelled the presence OF another bear.
This would not have excited thim under
conditions, and Il would not have
excited him now had the presence been
that Of a female bear, But the scent was
that OF a he-bear, and II drifted strongly
up rock-cut ravine that ran straight
down toward the balsam patch IN which
he had hidden the caribou.
Thor stopped 10 ask himself no questions.
Growing under his breath, he began TO de-
Scend so swiftly that Muskwa had great
difficulty In keeping up with him Not
until they came TO the edge Of the plain
that overlooked the lake and the balsarns
ala they stop MuslCwa's little Jaws hung
omen as he painted. Then his ears pricked
forward, he stared, and suddenly every
muscle IN his small body became rigid.
Seventy-flye yards below them their
cache was being outraged The robber was
a huge black bear He was a splendid out
law, He was perhaps, three hundred
mounds lighter than Thor. but he stood
almost as high, and in the sunlight
his coat shone with the velvety gloss of
sable-the biggest and boldsst bear that
had entered Thor's domain in many day.
he had pulled the caribou carcass from It's
hiding.plaee and was eating as Thor and
Afuslwa looked down on him.
AFTER a moment Muskwa peered up aues-
,torInRly At Thor what are we going 10
do?' he seemed 70 ask. Hes got our din
ner"
pielsing his way down those last seventy
Ave yards. He seemed % b in no hurry
Ilnru
10" scoNrINuEn 1oucRnoW