Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-08
CHAPTER yIII-(Continusd)

JTTTIEN he reached the edge Of the mead
w ow, perhaps thirty or forty yards from
the big invader he stopped again There
was nothing particularly ugly in his atti-
tude but the ruff about his shoulders was
bigger than Muskwa had ever seen il before.
The black looked up from his feast, and
for a full half minute they eyed each other.
In a slow, penduum-lke motion the griz-
zly's huge head swung from side TO side J;
the black was as mOtionless as sphinx,
-Four or five feet from Thor stood Musk
wa. In a small-boyish sort Of way he knew
that something was going to happen soon,
and in that same small-boyish way he was
ready to put his stub Of tail between
his legs and fee with Thor, or advance and
fight with him His eyes were curiously
attracted by that pandulum-like swing OF
Tbor's head. All nature understood that
swing. Man had learned to understand It,
81 ,ook out when a grizzly rolls his head ="
90 the first commandment OF the bear hunter
in the mountains.
The big black understood, and like other
hears In Thor's domain he should have
skunk a little backward, turned about and
n,ade his exit. Thor gave him ample time.
Tlnt the black was a new bear in the valley
and he was not only that: he was
noWerfu bear, and unwhpped; ana ne
had overloaded a range Of his own. He
stood his ground, -. -,
first RTOWl OF IltilaNu AitAN pu9oSN
hetween the two came from the black,
Again Thor advanced, slowly and delib-
oratsIv-straight for the robber Muskwa
foIIowed halfway and then stopped ana
.O,,otted himself on his belly Ten feet
from the carcass Thor paused again; ana
now his huge head swung more swiftly back
and forth, and low rumollng thunuer came
SIn,,, S''u between his half-open Jaws. The
blacks ivory ldHsS
hgain Thor advanced. a foot at a time.
I'd now his gaping jaws almost touched the
Ground, and his huge body was hunched
low. 49,, Aha ,srrtb NJ a yard
s,icls separated them there came a pause
r. nerhaps thirty seconds they were like
80 angry men, each trying to strike terror
to She others heart by the steadiness OF his
ioyG, 1us,xwa shook as If with the ague, and
y,bIned-softly and steadily he whihed' ana
the whine reached Thor's ears ..,-,-
thS WI no nnened after that began so quick
, 80 NI,skwa was struck dumb with ter
- and he lay fiattened out on the earth
as motionless as a stone ---,-,.. ..
win that grinding, snarling grizzly roar
,,htch is unlike any other animal cry IN
tba world, Thor flung himself AT the piaek
Tyhe black reared little-)ust enough 10
az, bimself backward easily as they came
s,har mus breast to breast. He rolled upon
pjs hack. but Thor was too old fighter to
he caught by that first vicious ripping
D,..,,a ~ the blacks hind foot, and he
buried his four long fiesh-rendering teeth 70
~ hone of his enemy's shoulder. At the
same saU time he struck terrific cutting stroke
VIII Thor was a digger, and his claws were
a,Ilad the black was not digger but
tree.climber, and his claws were like knives
"a IKE knives they buried themselves In
rhor's wounded shoulder, ana the piooo
spurted forth afresh,
WIN 4 roar that seemed 10 set the earth
,..,n6line sho huge grizEly lunged back
,serd ana reared himself % his fun nite