“I will spend the night here,” he said to himself. “I shall be out of danger in this great tree. What a lonesome place it is! This is one of the gloomiest valleys I ever saw. I’ll hide my acorns under the tree and find a place in which to rest.”
Hardly had he spoken these words, when a terrible growl fell upon his ears. At the same time a great black object rose between himself and the tree. It was the largest creature Tiny had ever seen.
“It is the black giant that Mr. Owl told me about,” chattered Tiny, dropping his hunting bag. “Oh, what shall I do?”
The giant, which was really a black bear, growled louder than before and tried to strike Tiny with his great paw. The red squirrel, quick as a flash, attacked the giant with his dart, but only broke it into several pieces. Then, as fast as his legs could carry him, he scurried up the pine tree. The bear, shaking with rage, attempted to climb the tree, too, but he was so heavy that a bough gave way, and he fell clumsily to the ground.
HE WAS SO HEAVY THAT A BRANCH GAVE WAY AND HE FELL CLUMSILY TO THE GROUND.
“You may be a great fighter on the ground, but you can’t climb trees,” laughed Tiny in spite of his recent fright.
“You shall stay in that tree till your beard turns gray,” growled the bear, “for I intend to see that you do not escape.”
Tiny hid himself in one of the thick branches and remained quiet for a long time. He feared to go to sleep, lest he might fall upon Mr. Bruin’s upturned nose. In the meantime, the bear fell into a deep slumber.