This was undoubtedly the animal that had escaped which was making toward
him with great leaps and savage growls, as though it had already marked
him for its prey.
His teeth chattered like castanets; his eyes fairly bulged from their
sockets; the breath came in hot gasps from his white lips; his brain
reeled, as he took in, in that rapid glance of horror, his awful doom.
Nearer and nearer sounded the hoarse, awful growls; nearer and nearer
moved the huge black mass over the white, crunching snow.
The moon was slowly rising over the horizon, rendering all objects
clearly distinct to his frightened gaze.
He was passing through a narrow belt of woodland, and like an
inspiration it occurred to him that his only hope of escape lay in
climbing one of the trees and thus outwitting the bear.
He saw with sinking heart that they were scarcely more than saplings,
and whether or not they would bear his weight without snapping in twain
he dared not even pause to consider.
With a groan of mortal terror he sprang for the nearest tree.
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