CHAPTER V
The Grizzly at Bay
Tearing down upon him in a rapid, lumbering gallop was a monstrous bear.It needed no second glance to tell that it was a grizzly. The little eyesincandescent with rage, the big hump just back of the ears, the enormoussize and bulk could belong to none other than this dreaded king of theRockies.
For an instant every drop of blood in Bert's body seemed to rush to hishead. It suffused his eyes with a red film and sounded like thunder inhis ears. Then the flood receded and left him cold as ice. He was himselfagain, cool, self-reliant, with his mental processes working likelightning.
He had no time to unfasten the canoe. Long before he could get in andpush off, the bear would have been on top of him. The beast was not morethan thirty feet away and two or three more lunges would bring him to thewater's edge.
Bert's first impulse was to dive into the lake and seek to escape byswimming. But this he discarded at once. Fast as he was, he knew thatthe grizzly could outswim him.
With a quick turn to the left, he plunged into the woods, running like adeer. The bear lost a second or two in trying to check his momentum. Thenhe turned also and went crashing through the underbrush in pursuit.
Had the going been open Bert might have made good his escape. His legsand wind had once won him a Marathon from the fleetest flyers of theworld. But here conditions were against him. Vines reached out to triphim. Impenetrable thickets turned him aside. He had to dodge and twistand squirm his way through the undergrowth.
But the bear had no such handicaps. His great body crashed straightthrough all obstacles. The fearful padding of those monstrous feet camenearer and nearer. Bert's legs worked like piston rods, but to no avail.The distance between them steadily decreased, and now he could hear thelabored breathing of his enraged pursuer close on his heels. It was likea hideous nightmare, and gradually the conviction began to force itselfupon him that he was running his last race. Once in the grip of thatmonster, nothing could save him from a frightful death.
But he would not give up. The old "never say die" spirit that had carriedhim through so many tight places still persisted. On, on, he ran, puttingevery ounce of speed and strength in one last spurt. He could feel thehot breath of the grizzly and the padding feet were terribly near. Then,just as the beast was ready to hurl its huge bulk against him, Bert swungon his heel like a pivot, doubled in his tracks and flashed back past hispursuer, just escaping a lunge from the outstretched paw. But thatmarvelous swaying motion of the hips that had eluded so many tacklerson the football field stood him in stead, and he just grazed the enormousclaw that tried to stop him.
That strategy proved his salvation. The grizzly plunged along for manyfeet before he could turn, and in that instant's respite Bert saw hischance.
Right in front of him was a tall oak whose lowest branch was full twentyfeet from the ground. Like a streak Bert reached it, whirled around tothe farther side and swarmed up it like a monkey. He reached the fork andswung himself out on the branch with not a second to spare. The grizzly,frothing with rage and hate, had hurled himself against the tree and hisup-reaching claw had torn the bark in a vain attempt to clutch the legthat he only missed by inches.
But he was balked. He could not climb, and the tree was too big for himto tear down, as he might have done had it been slenderer or younger. Bythe narrowest of margins he had failed to add one more victim to thosewho had already fallen before his ferocity.
Not that he had relinquished hope. He had lost in the open attack, but hestill had the resource of a siege. Soon or late he was sure his victimwould have to descend. His victory was only deferred. Back and forth andround and round the tree he paced, growling fiercely, at times rearinghimself on his hind legs and tearing savagely at the trunk. His openjaws, slavering with foam and showing his great yellow fangs, were fullof fearful menace, and his wicked eyes glowed like a furnace. His temper,evil at all times, had been rendered worse by the fury of the chase anddisappointment at his failure. Baffled rage bristled in every hair of hisshaggy hide. At that moment he would have charged a regiment.
Bert settled himself in the crotch of the tree and gazed at his thwartedenemy with a sensation of indescribable relief. He was drenched withsweat, his clothes were torn by that wild race through the brush, hisbreath came in gasps that were almost sobs, and his heart was beatinglike a triphammer. He had looked into the very eyes of death and almostby a miracle had escaped. For the present, at least, he was safe. Hisgiant adversary could not reach him.
Had he been entirely alone in this wild section of the mountains, or hadhis whereabouts been unknown, his situation would have been hopeless.The bear might settle down to a siege of many days, and he had powerfulallies in sleep and hunger. If wearied nature should assert her rightsand Bert in a moment of drowsiness topple from his perch, or if, drivenby starvation, he should make a last despairing effort to escape, thechances would be all against him. The instinct of the grizzly told himthat, if not interfered with, time alone was all that was necessary tobring his foe within his grasp.
But there were Dick and Tom to be reckoned with, and beyond them wasMelton, who would surely organize a party and come to his aid. He knewthat his comrades would not leave him in the lurch and that they wouldrisk their lives to save him from his perilous position. No doubt but atthat moment they were working with might and main to devise some plan ofrescue.
But what could they do? He had taken the canoe and they had no means ofgetting over to him. Had they known of the narrow peninsula on thefarther side, they might have worked their way around the end of thelake. But they thought the place was an island, only to be reached bywater. Both were strong swimmers and could easily win their way over. Butthey couldn't do that and keep their guns dry, and without weapons theycould do nothing.
In the wild dash through the woods he had described almost a perfectcircle, and the tree in which he was sheltered commanded a view of thecanoe and the shimmering water beyond. It maddened him to see the boatrocking there idly, as useless to him at that moment as though it werea thousand miles away.
If he had only brought his rifle with him! How thoughtless of him to takesuch a chance! The words of Mr. Melton at the breakfast table recurred tohim and he fairly writhed in an agony of self-reproach.
The grizzly had by this time realized that nothing could be done for thepresent but wait. He ceased his restless swaying to and fro and squatteddown on his haunches, his murderous eyes never leaving Bert for aninstant.
On the other side of the lake Dick and Tom were working with feverishenergy, almost beside themselves with fear at their comrade's terribleplight.
They had awakened soon after Bert's departure, and had been startled fora moment at finding him gone. The absence of the canoe, however, followedby a glimpse of it on the shore across the water, had reassured them, andthey had waited more or less patiently for his reappearance.
Suddenly Dick started to his feet.
"What's that?" he cried, pointing to the woods near the water's edge.
"Where?" exclaimed Tom, startled out of his usual calm by the evidentalarm in Dick's voice.
"In that big clump of trees over to the right," was the answer, and thenhis voice rose to a shout: "Great Scott! It's a grizzly."
"And there comes Bert," yelled Tom. "Bert, Bert," they shouted wildly,rushing down to the shore and waving their hands frantically.
They had seen Bert dart off into the woods with the bear in hot pursuit,but the outcome of the chase had been hidden from their view. They didnot dare to think of what might have happened, and they looked at eachother in helpless anguish.
"Quick!" yelled Dick, wrenching himself loose from the paralysis that hadseized him. "A raft. We've got to get over there with the guns. We'vegot a paddle left and we can push ourselves over. Oh, Bert, Bert!" hegroaned.
But Tom intervened.
"No good," he said hurriedly. "It'll take too long to make it and we'd betoo slow in getting across. The canoe's our only chance
. You get the gunsready."
He kicked off his shoes, tore off his clothes, dived head foremost intothe lake, and with long, powerful strokes headed for the farther shore.
He had an almost amphibious love for the water and the task he had setfor himself was easy. But his fear for Bert and his impatience at thedelay before he could help him made it seem to him as though he weregoing at a snail's pace, although in reality he was cleaving the waterlike a fish.
Bert, looking out from his perch in the tree, suddenly had his attentionattracted by something on the smooth surface. He thought at first thatit was a water fowl. Then he looked more closely, and his heart gave agreat bound as he recognized that it was one of his comrades, although hecould not tell which one at that distance. He saw that the swimmer washeaded straight for the canoe, and he surmised the plan in an instant.
"Good old Dick and Tom," he exulted to himself. "They're two pals in athousand. I knew they'd get me out of this or die in the trying."
But the bear, too, seemed to realize that something was happening. Hisscent was phenomenally keen, and the wind was blowing directly towardhim from the lake. He sniffed the air for a moment and then, with athreatening growl, looked toward the water. Then he rose slowly andbacked in that direction, still keeping an eye on Bert.
The latter took alarm at once. Here was a new complication. If the bearshould discover the swimmer, who was now nearing the shore, it might befatal. At all events his attention must be distracted.
With Bert, to think was to act. He grasped the branch tightly and swunghimself down at full length, so that his dangling feet were almost withinthe bear's reach. The grizzly, with an exultant "whuff," gallopedclumsily back to the tree and made a ferocious swipe at his enemy, whopulled himself up just in time. Snarling and mouthing horribly, the bearonce more moved toward the lake, torn between the desire to investigateand the fear that his victim might escape. Once more Bert worked the samemaneuver and again the bear "fell" for it.
But the crisis was past. There was no need now to repeat. Tom had reachedthe canoe, climbed into it, and with powerful strokes of the paddle sentit flying toward the mainland. Not, however, till his heart had beenthrilled with joy by Bert's yell that rang far out on the water.
"I'm up a tree, old man," called the voice that Tom had feared he mightnever hear again, "but I'm all right."
"Thank God," answered Tom, and tried to add something else, but couldn't.
Once more on shore he jubilantly reported to Dick, whose delight at thenews of Bert's present safety passed all bounds.
The first rejoicing over, they hastily laid their plans.
"Are the guns ready?" asked Tom as he got into his clothes.
"They're all right," answered Dick. "To make sure, I unloaded and filledthem up with new cartridges. Everything's in perfect shape."
They did not underestimate the task before them. They were taking theirlives in their hands in attacking this monster of the wilds. But had hebeen ten times as big or ten times as savage they would not havehesitated an instant, with Bert's life as the stake.
Knowing that the wind was blowing toward the bear from where they were,they deemed it wise, as a plan of campaign, to paddle to the other sideof the island and come upon the foe from the rear. If they could take himunawares, and pump a bullet or two into his great carcass before he hadtime to charge, their chances of success would be immensely greater.
Moving as warily as Indians, they dipped their paddles in the water andmade for the upper end of the supposed island. They rounded the pointand disembarked. Clutching their guns firmly and straining their eyes, asthey gazed into the dark green recesses of the woods, they advanced,scarcely daring to breathe.
"I'm going to signal," whispered Dick. "That'll warn Bert that we'recoming and he'll keep the bear busy." And the next instant the mournfulcry of the whippoorwill floated through the forest.
It was an accomplishment that the boys had frequently practised, and thecounterfeit was perfect enough to deceive the birds themselves.
They waited an instant, and then they heard Bert's answering"whippoorwill."
The bear paid no attention to the familiar sound, and it was evident thathis suspicions had not been aroused.
Guiding themselves by the repetition of the cry Dick and Tom pressedforward, their guns ready for instant use at the first sight of theenemy.
Bert had promptly grasped the meaning of the signal. It was imperativethat the bear's attention should be centered on himself alone. The onlything he found in his pocket was a jack-knife, but he threw this withsuch precision that it struck the bear full on the point of the nose andevoked a roar of fury. A shower of twigs and branches added insult toinjury, until the great beast was beside himself with rage. He had nothought or eyes or ears for anything but Bert.
And now the whippoorwill was close at hand.
Two spurts of flame leaped from the forest on the right. With a ferocioussnarl the grizzly whirled about in the direction of the shots. As he didso two more bullets plowed their way into his breast. He tore savagely atthe wounds, and then plunged fiercely in the direction of his unseenfoes.
But his hour had struck. Another volley halted him in his tracks. Hesagged, coughed, and fell in a crumpled mass to the ground.
With a wild hurrah, Dick and Tom broke from cover, dropped their guns andthrew their arms about Bert, who had slid down to the foot of the tree.
The strain had been so great and the reaction was so tremendous that noneof them for a moment knew what he was doing. They shouted, laughed andgrasped each others' hands, too excited for coherent speech. They hadbeen through many perils together, but none so great and terrible asthis. And now all three were together again, safe and sound, and thegrizzly----
"Look out," screamed Bert, his face going white.
They jumped as though they had been shot.
Not ten feet away was the grizzly coming down on them like a locomotive.His mouth was open, his eyes blazing, and with the blood flowing fromhis wounds he made a hideous picture as he rushed forward. They hadforgotten to reckon with the wonderful tenacity of life that makes agrizzly bear the hardest thing in the world to kill. Six bullets wereembedded in his carcass and his life was ebbing. But his fiendishferocity was unimpaired, and he had gathered himself together for onelast onslaught.
There was no time to think, no chance to resist. The guns were on theground, and merely to stoop for them meant that the bear would be uponthem before they could rise. With one bound the boys leaped aside, andscattered through the woods at the top of their speed.
The bear hesitated a second, as though undecided whom to follow, and thenput after Bert.
But it was a very different race this time from that of an hour before.Then the odds had been against the fugitive; now they were with him.The rage of the bear was greater, but his speed and strength werefailing. Bert easily increased his distance, and as he ran his quick mindformed a plan of action.
Running in a circle, he gradually drew his pursuer around to the treewhere he had sought refuge. He had figured on grabbing one of the gunsand shinning up to the friendly crotch, there to despatch his foe atleisure. But as he rose with the rifle in his hand he saw that there wasno time for this.
Dropping on one knee he took careful aim, and as the grizzly rose on itshind legs to grasp him, fired point blank at the spot just below the foreleg that marked the heart. Then he jumped aside.
The bear spun around once, toppled and fell with a tremendous crash onthe spot where Bert had been a moment before.
Once more Bert raised his rifle, looking narrowly for any sign of life.But the last bullet had done the work. A convulsive shudder ran throughthe bear's enormous length. Then he stiffened out and a glaze crept overthe wicked eyes. He had fought his last fight.
And as Bert looked down at him, his relief and exultation were temperedby a feeling of respect for the brute's courage. Never for a moment hadhe shown the white feather. He had fought gallantly and gone downfighting.
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Tom and Dick, who had now rejoined him, shared his feeling.
"Nothing 'yellow' about that old rascal but his hide," commented Dick.
"A fighter from Fightersville," added Tom.
When their jubilation had somewhat subsided, they measured their quarry.
"Ten feet four inches, from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail,"announced Tom. "Gee, but he's a monster."
"The daddy of them all," said Dick.
"He must weigh over half a ton," judged Bert.
They looked with a shudder at the terrible claws and fangs.
"They say that a grizzly has forty-two teeth," remarked Tom, "but Ithought he had forty-two thousand when he was bearing down upon us withhis mouth open."
"Well, now the question is what are we going to do with him," said Dick.
"That's a pleasant way to put it," laughed Bert. "A little while ago thequestion was what was he going to do with us."
"I don't know," he mused, "what we can do. We can't skin him, because wehaven't the proper knives, and then, too, it takes an expert to get thathide off without spoiling it. On the other hand, we can't leave it hereand expect to find it in the morning. The other animals will feast onthe carcass, and the skin won't be any good when they've got throughtearing it. If it were a deer we could hang it up out of reach. But wecouldn't even move this mountain, let alone lift it."
"Of course we can come back and get the teeth and claws, anyway," put inDick. "But I hate like thunder to lose the skin."
"I tell you what," suggested Bert. "Let's hustle around and get as manybig stones as we can find. We'll pile up a sort of funeral mound aroundhim that the animals can't work through or pull away. Then in the morningwe'll get some of the boys from the ranch to come up with us and get thehide. It may not work, but I think it will, and, anyway, we've got totake the chance."
Luckily for the carrying out of the plan, big stones abounded in thevicinity and a few minutes of hard work sufficed to gather togetherenough to make it probable that the body would remain undisturbed tillthey came for it.
"And now, fellows," said Bert, gazing at the sun, "it's the quick sneakfor us if we want to get back to the ranch before dark. Forward, march."
With a last look at the scene of their thrilling experience, they boardedthe canoe, shot across the lake, and, packing up their traps, set out forthe ranch. They made quick time of it, as the road was now familiar andled downhill all the way. Yet, despite their speed, dusk was settlingdown when they reached the house, to receive a hearty greeting from theirhosts, who were becoming a little anxious at the delay.
Mrs. Melton paled as she heard the story of their frightful danger, andMelton himself was deeply stirred at their narrow escape. He, better thanany one else, realized all the horror of the case had victory declared onthe side of the bear.
"You'll never be nearer death than you were to-day, my boys," he saidgravely; "and a kind of death that I don't care to think about. I'll sendSandy and some of the men up to-morrow to get the skin, and I hope thathide will be the nearest you ever come to seeing a grizzly again. Youcame through all right to-day, but it's the kind of stunt a man doesn'tget way with twice. But now," he added more lightly, "I'll bet thatyou're hungry enough to eat nails. Hurry up and wash and get down to thetable."
"By the way," said Mrs. Melton, her eyes twinkling, "where are those fishyou promised me for supper?"
The boys looked at each other in consternation.
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Bert. "We forgot to bring them."