After travelling about three miles, which seemed like twenty, we rested on a log, when I began rehearsing the sights and scenes of the day. I said that if compelled to stay in the woods all night, we ought to consider it a day well spent, but failing to receive a hearty response, I switched off into a more lively subject by exclaiming, as I pointed into the woods, "See! See! There is a bear behind that log." The ruse worked all right until I proposed we rush in and capture him, when Archibald declared this was the last time he should ever tour with a man who knew nothing and feared nothing.

As the sleepiest dog will show signs of great activity when a tea-kettle is tied to his tail, so tired men, finding themselves in a strange forest, will pick up their heels with amazing agility when uncertainty confronts them and the landing is far away. Thus it was that our gait was quite lively, which both pleased and vexed his mother's son, Archibald, who had insisted on carrying the guide's gun since I had mentioned that catamounts came out for their serenade long before sunset. Our course was leading us through heavy timber, when I proposed that we circle around through an opening and started that way, the guide following, Archibald pushed straight through, saying that the barking of dogs proved that we were near the landing.

After leaving the woods and climbing part way up the hill, I could see Archibald hurrying through the timber where, on account of the fallen trees, he made but little headway, so I called out to him to come into the opening where the walking was better, to which he replied, "I am not afraid to walk in the woods."

At the top of the hill was a berry patch, from which I had full view along the foot of the mountain, where nearby I saw three Indians running towards me with rifles in a position to shoot. Between me and them was a dark ravine, in which dogs were fiercely barking, and knowing they were trying to kill something, I rushed forward to see, when a bouncing black bear whipped around the ledge and over the knoll in the direction of poor Archibald. He was closely pursued by the dogs, to whom old Bruin was often compelled to stop and give battle. When running the dogs were upon his heels, and when he stopped and set up for a fight he would see the gunners and light out again regardless of the dogs.

I knew the bear would not hurt Archibald unless in the act of running over him, but I began shouting, "Lookout! Lookout, Archibald! Lookout, there's a bear after you. Run! Run! Run for your life," at which he started running toward me, thinking the bear was coming from the other direction. As the bear ran down the hill with the Indians trying to get a shot at him, I could see both the bear and Archibald approaching each other, while Archibald was looking over his shoulder, so he did not see the bear until he was right upon him, when turning quickly he dropped his gun and lit out unceremoniously.

The panorama before me was what the girls call a peach—the shortest, funniest, and most earnest sprinting match ever recorded; Indians chasing dogs, dogs chasing bear, bear chasing Archibald, Archibald running for dear life. Archibald did not take a zigzag course as lightning usually does, but shot straight ahead into the thicket, leaving no evidence of his late departure, but an imaginary wake. The bear, who could not stand the nipping of the dogs, turned again, and as he raised up was shot by one of the Indians.

We could see nor hear nothing of Archibald, whose parting glimpse had aroused my concern, so I hurried in the direction of his disappearance, crying out his name. Leaning against a big tree I put my hands to my mouth and helloed so loud that my voice echoed through the swamp, when I was surprised at his voice so near me saying, "What in the d-v-l do you want?"

"Where are you, Archibald?"

"Here I am, up here."

"Oh, yes, come down."

"Did you kill him, Mr. Richardson?"

"Yes, he is dead."

"Did he catch anybody?"

"No, he was not after anyone. Come down out of that tree."

"Not after anyone? What is the use of your lying. If you had not shot him he would have had me in two more jumps. Is there any more of them?"

"No, there is not. He was not after you. He was running to get away from the dogs. You know I had no gun. It was the Indians who shot him. Come down here! Come down! Here is the gun which you threw away."

"I am in no particular hurry to come down. Say, Richardson, tell me how long you expect to stay in this God-forsaken country?"

"Oh, about three weeks more. Why? Do you not like Alaska?"

"Alaska is all right, but you are so bull-headed, taking a fellow into such a hole as this. Besides, there is nothing to see here."

"Haven't you seen an avalanche?"

"Avalanche? Nothing but stones rolling down hill."

"And you've seen a glacier."

"Glacier? Nothing but a chunk of ice."

"And a bear right in the woods. Your friends will be glad to hear about——"

"Now grin, Mr. Richardson! Sit there and hold your sides to keep from bursting with laughter. I swear if I did not know anymore than you do I would never compose a book. I did think a brief account of this trip might be interesting, but no one would care for the minute details as you would give them. At least, I hope they will not get into print until after I am dead."

"Why, Archibald, when you get home you will enjoy telling your friends all about your adventures and hair-breath escapes, how bravely you faced——"

"Oh, you get out! Let us go to the landing and get some more dodgers fried in bear's tallow, that you enjoy so much."

We stood in silence a moment, when he put his hand kindly on my shoulder as he said: "Mr. Richardson, you must not think I mean everything I say, but I'm so terribly wrought up. The glacier was so much different from what I expected, and I was afraid you might get hurt up there alone. Then the landslide startled me awfully, for I thought the whole mountain was coming down, and that the world might be coming to an end, and, oh, how this bear did frighten me. I presume I shall laugh about it when I get home, but I cannot get up a smile now."

"Certainly you will laugh about this trip, Mr. Archibald, in years to come, especially when you come to consider that bears are not like wolves, panthers and those kind of fierce beasts, which kill to eat. Besides, you should not spleen at eating bear meat, for they live mostly on nuts and berries and sleep all winter. Experience is a great teacher, this day will never be forgotten. It adds to our lives and we shall look back to it with pleasure. Now, you're not mad?"

"Mad? No, Mr. Richardson, I half way love you, and when I think of this fright I shall think about you as both the best and meanest man on my list. I am going to eat hearty on the bear steak for supper; you see if I do not. Now you can consider yourself forgiven for all except one act."

"What is that, Archibald?"

"When you kept calling 'Run! Run! He is after you!' He was not after me, he was before me, and you knew that you were lying all the time."

The last evening I spent at Juneau with Judge Mellen and his interesting wife. It was ten o'clock when we parted. The sun was still shining and the birds singing when we shook hands good-bye, and he said: "We will meet again, where friends meet friends which they loved on earth." As the steamer pulled off from the shore I thought of the friends I had gained in Alaska to make my life more interesting in that home where the flowers fade not and the inhabitants never grow old.