“Losh me! And you don't tell me! And how did you manage that, Hughie?”
“He chased me up that tree, and I guess would have got me only for Fido.”
The minister gasped.
“Got you? Was he as near as that?”
“He wasn't three feet away,” said Hughie, and with that he proceeded to give, in his most graphic style, a description of his great fight with the bear.
“When I heard the first shot,” said Don, “I was away across the swamp. I tell you I tore back here, and when I came, what did I see but Hughie and Mr. Bear both sitting down and looking coolly at each other a few yards apart. And then Nigger downed him and I put a bullet into his heart.” Don was greatly delighted, and extremely proud of Hughie's achievement.
“And how did you know about it?” asked Don of his father.
“It was the minister here came after me.”
“Yes,” said the minister, “it was Fusie told me you had gone off on a bear hunt, and so I went along to the Cameron's with Mr. Craven here, to see if you had got home.”
Meantime, Mr. Craven had been looking Hughie over.