The fourth day after the escape, he was too weak to struggle further, and lay limp on the ground, with his eyes closed.  He wanted to keep perfectly still, though he was suffering keenly from thirst, for he had not found any water that day.  A rabbit darted from the thick brush close to Jan’s head.  The rustling of leaves made the dog’s eyes open.  He saw the little creature sit up in sudden fright, but Jan did not try to catch it, he was too tired and besides he knew that the muzzle held him a prisoner.  So he watched the rabbit hop about him fearlessly, until the sound of steps in dry leaves startled it into the bushes.

Jan heard the steps, too.  He thought William had found him, and knowing that he could not fight nor defend himself, he dragged himself wearily to his feet and staggered with trembling legs a few, short steps.  Then he dropped heavily.

Voices sounded.  Jan’s ears lifted and quivered, his eyes brightened and his tail moved slightly.  He was not afraid of children.  They had always loved and petted him.  Once more he rose and slowly pushed through the thicket to an open place where two little girls laughed and chattered as they picked wild blackberries into a small tin pail.

He edged toward the sunbonnets bobbing over the pail.  The children heard the rustle and turned about, then the pail dropped, the berries spilled on the ground and the sunbonnet children ran, screaming wildly, “Father!  Father!  It’s a big, black bear to eat all of us up!”

The dog halted, wondering why they ran from him.  He heard a man’s quick words, the children’s excited voices and a woman’s soothing tones.

“It’s all right now!” thought poor Prince Jan.  “Women and children won’t hurt me.”

He moved through the brush, but found himself looking straight into the barrel of a gun held by steady hands.  Jan knew what that meant.  His legs trembled as he pressed forward.  Oh, if he could only make this man understand that he did not mean to hurt or frighten the little girls!  He only wanted some one to take off this horrible muzzle.

The dog’s pleading eyes were lifted to the man’s face and then, unable to stand any longer, Jan fell weakly to the ground and pulled himself forward, inch by inch, to show that he meant no harm, and all the while his ragged tail kept beating very feebly.  The man looked at him, then lowered the gun.

“Come here, girls!  Your bear is only a lost dog!”

Jan did not look around at the patter of feet, but his paws went to the muzzle, and as he lay with his head against the man’s feet, the pitifully pleading eyes and tugging paws of the dog spoke as plainly as words.

“Poor fellow!” said a gentle voice, then a woman’s fingers worked carefully at the strap and Jan felt the muzzle fall away.

He touched her hand with his dry, stiff tongue, and saw the two little sunbonnet children, laughing, yet still afraid of the big dog, come to their mother’s side.  The man noticed the broken rope and examined the collar.