When he suddenly found himself beneath a goodly-sized tree it looked
like a providential indication to him, and throwing his gun to the
ground, he ascended the tree in the shortest time that he had ever
made.

He was none too soon as it was, for the bear was so close beneath him
that he felt the brush of its claws alone; his feet, as he nervously
jerked them beyond its reach.

Hastily scrambling to the very top of the tree, he secured himself
among the limbs, and then glanced down to see what his enemy was
doing. Great was his relief to find him sitting on his haunches,
contenting himself with merely casting wistful glances upward.

The, sensation of even temporary safety was a reliefbut when a full
hour had dragged by, with scarcely a single change of position upon
the part of the brute, Johnny began to ask himself what was to be the
end of all this.

It looked as though the grizzly had resolved in making his dinner upon
the youngster who had dared to fire a shot at him. The patience of an
animal is proverbially greater than that of a human being, and that of
the bear certainly exceeded to a great degree that of his expected
prey who crouched in the limbs above.

CHAPTER XII. THE GRIZZLY BEAR.

FROM WHERE young Brainerd was perched on the tree it was impossible to
catch a glimpse of the steam man, so patiently awaiting his re-turn.