He killed him himself." "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.
"Mighty plucky thing," he said.

"Great nerve," and he lapsed into silence, while Fusie could not contain himself, but danced from one foot to the other with excited exclamations.
The minister had come out intending, as he said, "to teach that boy a lesson that he would remember," but as he listened to Hughie's story, his anger gave place to a great thankfulness.
"It was a great mercy, my boy," he said at length, when he was quite sure of his voice, "that you had Fido with you." "Yes, indeed, father," said Hughie.

"It was Fido saved me." "It was the Lord's goodness," said the minister, solemnly.
"And a great mercy," said Long John, "that your lad kept his head and showed such courage.

You have reason to be proud of him." The minister said nothing just then, but at home, when recounting the exploit to the mother, he could hardly contain his pride in his son.
"Never thought the boy would have a nerve like that, he's so excitable.
I had rather he killed that bear than win a medal at the university." The mother sat silent through all the story, her cheek growing more and more pale, but not a word did she say until the tale was done, and then she said, "'Who delivereth thee from destruction.'" "A little like David, mother, wasn't it ?" said Hughie; but though there was a smile on his face, his manner and tone were earnest enough.
"Yes," said his mother, "a good deal like David, for it was the same God that delivered you both." "Rather hard to cut Fido out of his share of the glory," said Mr.
Craven, "not to speak of a cool head and a steady nerve." Mrs.Murray regarded him for a moment or two in silence, as if meditating an answer, but finally she only said, "We shall cut no one out of the glory due to him." At the supper-table the whole affair was discussed in all its bearings.
In this discussion Hughie took little part, making light of his exploit, and giving most of the credit to Fido, and the mother wondered at the unusual reserve and gravity that had fallen upon her boy.