CHAPTER XXVIII.
"SOME TERRIBLE PRESENTIMENT IS WARNING ME THAT MY DARLING IS IN DANGER." There never was a night so long that another day did not dawn--at last--and when the morrow's light broke, Halloran was slowly but surely collapsing--giving himself up to the horrible doom that awaited him--for the bear had not quitted his position under the tree, nor had he taken his eyes off his intended victim for a single moment.
As the sun rose, Halloran watched it with dazed, bloodshot eyes, exclaiming: "Good-by, golden sun, I shall never see you set, nor witness you rise again upon another day.

I--" the sentence was never finished, for over the snowy waste rang a voice like a bugle blast: "Keep quiet, take heart, help is at hand; I am going to shoot the animal and deliver you," and simultaneously with the voice four shots in rapid succession rang out upon the early morning air.
There was a wild howl of pain, a terrible roaring bellow, a sudden dash toward a dark figure hurriedly approaching, two more shots, and the bear rolled over dying beyond power to harm, his red blood dyeing the white snow in great pools.

Halloran knew no more.

His strength and endurance seemed suddenly to leave him, darkness closed in about him, his hold loosened and he fell backward down, down through space.
He did not know that a pair of strong arms caught him, thus saving him from a broken neck.

When he opened his eyes a few moments later, to his intense surprise he found Lester Armstrong bending over him, and the sight rendered him fairly dumb with amazement.
Before he could ask questions that sprang to his lips, Lester explained to him that owing to the dampness of the place, the fire Halloran had kindled had quickly gone out, thus saving the young man from being burned to death.