A Friend in the Wild: Part 3

By MARIE GIBSON, Illustrator KELVIN HAWLEY

It was only their father's cleverness and courage that helped them to win back the cave. First, he shouted to attract the bear's attention. He pelted it with rocks until it roared with rage, then ran back into the forest, with the bear chasing behind him. He led it towards a pit they had dug to trap a wild boar, and ran lightly across the sticks that covered it. From the far side, he taunted the bear and threw more rocks at it.

The bear charged! Its great weight smashed through the fragile sticks and sent it crashing into the pit. Then Father, Mother, and Peli had stabbed the beast with lances and spears until it was dead.

"I wish Mother and Father hadn't gone,"Arnya was still complaining.

"They didn't want to go,"Peli told her again. How many times had he said that? "They went hunting because we must have meat."

Publisher: Shortland Publications, $10.10

Age group: 10-12 years