“Perhaps he discovered the men behind him,” suggested Step Hen.
“No, they were still more than two hours’ back,” Allan contrived, as he walked on hastily. “And besides, Bumpus never once turned to look behind; I could tell from his track if he did. Something in front must have attracted him.”
Giraffe and Step Hen looked at each other.
“I wonder,” said the former.
“’Twould be just Bumpus’ luck if he did,” the other boy exclaimed.
Neither of them spoke their thoughts aloud further than that. For a short time they kept moving rapidly along. And then Allan held up his hand as a signal for the others to stop.
“Well,” he said, “it happened, after all these days of tramping. Bumpus came across the trail of a bear, and a big fellow too. See here, you can see his tracks, where none of the others have marred them.”
CHAPTER XIX.
ANOTHER SHOCK.
“He was a buster, just as you said, Allan,” Giraffe remarked, uneasily, after they had examined the imprint of those feet, showing the marks of the long cruel claws.
“A grizzly, I reckon?” Step Hen ventured.