"Meester Stevey!" exclaimed the lad. "Oh! oh! oh!" he half sobbed, and, throwing himself again upon the ground, he buried his face in his hands, and lay gently rolling from side to side, trying to stifle the hysterical fit which had attacked him; for it was mingled with relief from what he had looked upon as certain death, anger with himself for making such a blunder, and delight at Steve's return. "Why, Watty, what's the matter?" cried Steve. "I do believe he's crying. Get up. Did you think I was dead?" "Yes, we all tought you wass teat, an' I tought the pear wass come to eat me, ant--ant--ant--she's ferry clad to see you acain, though she don't like you." "Well, you are a rum chap, Watty! I say, you didn't mind my snatching away that meat? I couldn't help it, I was nearly starved." "No, she ton't mind," replied the lad. "She'd hat a little pit o' meat pefore. But she's all scratted, an' her het pleets, an' she's cot no skin on her knuckles!" "Oh, never mind that! I got away--escaped. But it was very bad." "Put it wass ferry pad! What wass ferry pad?" "Having a couple of bears after you." "An' she had twa pears after her?" "Yes, monsters. They hunted me all along a gully right up into the mountain." "Hey! An' tid they catch her?" "No; one got tired and stopped, but the other came right on to where it was all ice and snow. Up yonder," said Steve, pointing to the glittering slopes and peaks far above their heads. "An' what tid that one to? Tid she ket tired?" "No," said Steve. "I made a jump to get up a steep bit of the ice, caught hold, and then fell right on to the bear as it was coming up after me." "Hey, tid she, though?" "Yes; and knocked it off the slope, and we went down together for a little way rolling over and over. Then I found I was alone, for the bear had clawed about and stopped itself; but I was sliding and slipping there down and down, I don't know how far, but it must have been hundreds of feet over the steep snow, till I rolled over among the stones and cut my head." "Hey, and she has cut it! Hadn't she petter tie it up?" "Oh, that's nothing." "Put what tid the pear to?" "I don't know. I didn't see any more of it. I suppose it's up there in the mountain somewhere. I say, Watty, I wish I'd had Skeny with me. I don't know, though; perhaps the bears would have killed him. Where are the others?" "They're gone to leuk for you. She's waiting for them to come pack." "Have they got Skeny with them? He ought to have scented me out, so that they could have shot the bears." "Skeny? Na; she tidn't see the tog." Steve started. "Why, Watty, I don't remember seeing him when we turned back with the deer; did you?" "Na, she tidn't see the tog since she rin after a teer. She wass going ferry fast, an' she forgot all spout the tog after. She hopes the tog isna lost." "No fear! Skeny will find his way back. Oh, how stiff and sore I am! Hark!"