Williams news., 1922-12-08

ridge almost in eye range of Hudson's
 camp. Now he was preparing to dip
 down into the Killers glen-
 Turner and Hudson followed up the
 little creek.
 The first of Hudson's sets proved
 empty. The second was about a turn
 in the creek, and a wall of brush made
 it impossible for him to tell at a dis
 tance whether or not he had made a
 catch. But when still quarter of a
 mile distant, Hudson heard a sound
 that he thought he recognized. It was
 a high, sharp, agonized bark that
 dimmed into low whine, 'I believe
 I've got a coyote or a wolf up there"
 he said They hastened their steps.
 The whole picture 1oomed suddenly
 before their eyes. There was no wolf in the trap. The steel had sprung, certainly, but only hideous fragment of foot remained between the jaws. The bone had been broken sharply off, as a man might break a match in his fingers. There was no living wolf. Life had gone out of the gray body many minutes before. The two men saw all these things as background only-1im details about the central figure. But the thing that froze them in their tracks with terror was the great, gray form of the Killer, not twenty feet distant, beside the man. gled body of the wolf.
 The events that followed thereafter came in such quick succession as to seem simultaneous. For one fraction Of an instant all three figures stood motionless, the two men staring, the grizzly half-leaning over his prey, his head turned, his little red eyes full of hatred. He uttered one hoarse, saw age note, sound in which all his hatred and his fury and his savage power were made manifest, whirled with incredible speed, and charged.
 Hudson did not even have time to turn. There was no defense; his gun was strapped on his back, and even If it had been in his hands, it's bullet would not have mattered the sting of l bee in honeyrobbing- The only possible chance of breaking that dead " charge lay in the thirty-thirty deer rifle in Dawes arms; but the craven who held 1t did not even fire He was standing just below the outstretched imb of a tree. and the weapon fell from his hands as he swung up into he limb. The fact that Hudson stood Heapon1ess. ten feet away in tke clear ng, did not deter him in the least.
 
 No human flesh could stand against hat charge. The vast paw fell with .esistless force; and no need arose for second blow. The trapper's body vas struck down as if felled by a meteor, and the power of the impact breed it deep into the carpet of pine needles. The savage creature turned. he white fangs caught the light in the ,pen mouth. The head lunged toward he mans shoulder.
 No man may say what agony Hud-e on would have endured in the last I ew seconds of his life if the Killer 1 lad been given time and opportunity | lis usual way was to finger long, | harp fangs closing again and again lntil all living likeness was destroyed. | The blood lust was upon him; there | would have been no mercy to the dy- | ng creature in the pine needles. Yet | { transpired that Hudson's flesh was | lot to know those rending fangs a | econd time.
 On the hillside above, a stranger to his land had dropped to his knee in | he shrubbery, his rife lifted to the | evel of his eyes. It was Bruce, who | ad come in time to see the charge | trough rift in the trees.
 The bear was on 7uQSOn, and me nan had gone down, before Bruce ven interpreted him. Then 1t was ust gray patch, full three hundred ards away. His instinct was to throw he gun to his shoulder and fire with ut aiming; yet he conquered it with n iron will. But he did move quickly. He dropped to his knee the very sec ,nd that the gun leaped to his shoul Ter. He seemed to know that from a ower position the target would be more clearly revealed. The finger pressed back against the trigger.
 The distance was far; Bruce was not practiced rifle shot, and it bor- tered on the miraculous that his lead vent anywhere near the bears body. Ind 1t was true that the bullet did lot reach a vital place. It stung like wasp at the Killers flank, however, .utting a shallow flesh wound. But 1t vas enough to take his dreadful atten- ion from the mortally wounded trap per in the pine needles.
 He whirled about, growing furious y and biting at the wound. Then he tood still, turning his gaze first to the ,ale face of Dave Turner thirty feet lbove him in the pine. The eyes glowed n fury and hatred. He had found nen out at last; they died even more ,asily than the fawn. He started to urn back to the fallen, and the rifle poke again.
 It was a complete miss, this time ] 'et the bear leaped in fear when the