In one respect Victor displayed wisdom. Without stirring from the spot he carefully reloaded his gun, keeping a lookout all the time for the return of the monster. He had caught sight of the mountainous, shaggy bulk as it swung through the undergrowth, which was trampled down as if it were so much grass, and then disappeared. Would he come back? While the lad was debating the question he heard the sound of some one approaching from the other direction. Turning, his eyes met those of his white-faced brother, who seemed to find it hard to believe that he saw Victor alive and unharmed. “Where’s the bear?” gasped George, when he could master his emotions. “Why didn’t you wait and see me shoot him?” asked Victor loftily. “It can’t be you killed him.” “He may live a few minutes longer, but I guess he’s gone off to die by himself. You know wild animals don’t like to have spectators when they give their last kick.” “It can’t be,” said George as if to himself; “you couldn’t have hit him.” “Then what made him leave so suddenly? Tell me _that_.” “I don’t know; I never saw one of them before; but why didn’t he attack us? This bear is a bigger one than Mul-tal-la ever met, and it couldn’t be he was afraid of us.” “Not of _us_—of course not, for only one of us held his ground, and I don’t think his name is George Shelton, but he saw _I_ was here; he took one good squint at me, and things looked so squally he decided to leave.” The complacency and self-pride of Victor were warranted, provided they rested upon a sure basis; _that_ would soon be known. Few living woodmen have ever driven off a grizzly bear by a single shot, and it seems beyond the range of possibility for the feat to be performed by a boy. Victor peered in all directions, and seeing nothing of the monster, turned and proceeded to “rub it in” with his brother. “Let me see, George, you were saying something a little while ago about a fellow that you saw run away from the charge of an antelope.” George knew what was coming and rallied to “repel boarders.” “Yes; I saw a great hulking youngster do that very thing. You will find it hard to believe anyone could show such cowardice, but Mul-tal-la was with me, and he’ll tell you it is true.” “Do you think that the chap, who no doubt was trying to lure the antelope to his destruction, made better time than _you_ did when you deserted me at sight of this big bear?” “There may not have been much difference in the speed of the two, but you see the case is different. One boy ran from an animal that is as harmless as a rabbit, while the other fled from a beast that would have sent a half-dozen veterans flying, even though they had loaded rifles in their hands.” “But I stood my ground.” “Because you didn’t know any better. You were too scared to run.”