He was almost tuckered out when he reached us and had only breath enough left to say: "Run! It's a bear!" We ran, all right, but after a little I looked back and could see that there was nothing following. "Hold up--a minute," I panted. "It--ain't a-comin'." "Where was it, Benny?" I asked, when they had come back. "Where did you see it?" "I didn't see it. I only heard it. It was stepping around in the bushes and I heard it grunt. I didn't wait to see it." "I wish I had my rope," said Skinny. "I left it in the wagon. Come on, anyhow. We'll surround the critter and shoot him." Skinny scared us when he said that. I could feel cold chills chasing up and down my back bone, when I thought of surrounding a live bear. "Great snakes!" said Bill. "I hope it's a big one, so Skinny can hit it. He couldn't hit a little one." "I couldn't, couldn't I?" said he. "I'll show you whether I can hit it or not. Come on. I'll dare you to." That settled it. We weren't going to take a dare, but I was hoping all the time that the bear had run away. So, with Benny keeping close to me and pointing the way, we crept through the woods, not making any noise, and each boy held his bow and arrow ready to shoot. It was scary but it was fun. Finally, with an excited pinch of my arm, Benny stopped and pointed. My heart throbbed like a trip-hammer, and I hardly could hold my arrow on the cord, for, looking through some bushes, I caught sight of something black and heard the bear tramping around. I heard Skinny muttering something about a rope; then he whispered: "Get ready, and run as soon as you shoot." "Aim." We stood there, trembling, wanting to run first and shoot afterward, but too proud to. Each boy pointed his arrow toward where we could see the bear standing still behind some bushes and only a part, of him showing. [Illustration: AS WE RAN, WE HEARD A YELL OF PAIN, OR FRIGHT, AND IT WAS NOT A BEAR'S VOICE AT ALL.] "Fire!" I don't know when I fired. I only knew that my arrow was gone and I was running for the camp like the wind, with the other Scouts chasing after me. As we ran, we heard a yell of pain, or fright, and it was not a bear's voice at all. It was a woman's! Then we heard the voice say: "For the love of Mike! The woods is full of Injuns and I've got an arrow in the pit of my stummick." CHAPTER XVIII SCOUTING THROUGH A WILDERNESS "FELLERS," said Skinny, panting and wetting his lips with his tongue. "We've done it this time. We've killed somebody." "Killed nothin'!" Bill told him. "Didn't you hear her holler?" "She's running, too," said Benny. "Killed folks don't run, especially girls." We could hear a crashing through the bushes beyond, and knew that what Benny said was true. "Let's sneak back and get our arrows, anyhow," said Skinny, when the noise had stopped.