CHAPTER X.
Hanging a Bear.
When they arrived at the wagon, they found Mr. Winters and old Bobeating their dinner. Although not as fortunate as Dick's party, theyhad not returned empty-handed, for the old trapper had killed abig-horn, and Mr. Winters had knocked over a large gray wolf. Thinkingthat Frank might want the skin of the latter to mount in his museum,he had taken it off very carefully, and stretched it on a frame todry.
Archie's adventure with the grizzly was duly discussed, and, for anhour after dinner, the boys sat by the fire listening to the trapper'sstories. But they could not long endure this inactivity--there was "nofun in it," as Archie said--so they saddled their horses and set outfor a ride over the prairie. They were not after game this time. Ifthey had been, it is not at all probable they would have discoveredany, for they raced their horses over the swells, and shouted loudenough to frighten all the animals for a mile around. About the middleof the afternoon they grew tired of their ride, and turned theirhorses toward the camp. As they rode slowly along, about half a milefrom the willows that skirted the base of the mountains, Archie, who,as usual, was leading the way, suddenly drew up his horse, exclaiming:
"See there, Frank! There's another of the varmints!"
Frank looked toward the willows, and saw a large grizzly bear, seatedon his haunches, regarding them as if not at all concerned about theirapproach.
"We're safe now, Archie," said he, as soon as he had satisfied himselfthat the bear had not the slightest intention of seeking safety inflight. "A grizzly can't outrun a horse, so let's shoot at thatfellow."
"I--I--believe I'd rather not meddle with him," answered his cousin,shrugging his shoulders. "I say, let him alone if he lets us alone.What if our horses should get frightened and throw us? Wouldn't we bein a fix? But I'll shoot at him from here."
"Why, it's too far," said Frank. "I am going up nearer." As he spoke,he put his horse into a gallop and rode toward the bear, which wasstill seated in the edge of the willows. Archie did not at all likethe idea of provoking a fight with the animal; but, after a moment'shesitation, he followed his cousin. There might be no danger afterall, he thought, for that bear certainly could not catch Sleepy Sam.The grizzly still kept his seat, closely watching the movements of thehunters, and once or twice he seemed inclined to advance on them; but,after walking a few steps, he again seated himself, as if to awaittheir approach.
The boys had gone but a short distance, when their horses discoveredthe animal, and Pete at once stopped, and refused to go any further.He had evidently had some experience in bear hunting, for the sight ofthe animal seemed to terrify him. Words had more effect than thespurs, for when Frank spoke encouragingly to him, he would advance afew steps, and then, as if suddenly recalling his former experience,he would hastily retreat. In this way, he succeeded in gettingfurther and further away from the bear, instead of going toward it.Archie now took the lead, in hopes that his cousin could induce hishorse to follow the old buffalo hunter; but Pete utterly refused to goany nearer, and Frank at length dismounted and prepared to risk a shotat the bear at long range. The animal accepted this as a challenge,for he arose to his feet, growling savagely, and made toward the boysat a rate of speed that astonished them.
When Frank dismounted, he was careful to retain a firm hold of Pete'sbridle, for the actions of the horse plainly indicated that, if leftto himself, he would take to his heels, and get as far as possibleaway from the dangerous neighborhood. When he saw that the bear wascoming toward him, he snorted and plunged, rendering it impossible forFrank to shoot; and, in fact, the latter had no desire to do so, whenhe found that the grizzly was about to assume the offensive. His firstthought was to remount; but the horse was so terrified that he wouldnot stand still long enough for Frank to place his foot in thestirrup.
"Hurry up, there!" exclaimed Archie, excitedly. "The rascal is comingfast. He means fight, sure enough."
Pete evidently thought so too, for he reared and plunged worse thanever, pulling Frank about over the prairie in spite of all he coulddo. Suddenly there was a loud snap, and the bridle, broken close tothe bit, was violently pulled through Frank's hand. The next momentPete had disappeared behind a swell. For an instant the cousins gazedat each other in dismay. On foot, Frank could not hope to escape fromthe bear, which, in spite of his clumsy appearance, was making his waytoward them with surprising rapidity; neither could he disable him bya shot from his rifle. Before, he had been as cool and collected as hepossibly could be, for he knew that he had a way of escape. But Peteseemed to have carried the last particle of his master's courage awaywith him, for Frank's hand trembled so violently that he knew it wouldbe useless to fire at the bear. But still there was a chance forescape, and Archie was the first to think of it.
"Frank!" he exclaimed, "there's only one way now--jump up behind me."
His cousin was prompt to act upon the suggestion, and Sleepy Sam,in answer to a thrust from his master's spurs, carried them bothtoward the camp at a rapid gallop.
They no longer thought of fighting the grizzly; their only desire wasto reach the old bear's hole as soon as possible, and procure theassistance of the trappers. They both thought that the animal wouldsoon abandon the chase, and their only fear was, that before theycould reach the camp and acquaint Dick with what had transpired, thebear would be safe among the mountains. But they soon discovered theirmistake. The grizzly steadily followed them, and, although Sleepy Sammade excellent time for a horse encumbered with a double load, gainedat every step. But they were rapidly nearing the old bear's hole, and,at length, the boys saw their uncle and the trappers ride out of thewillows. Dick was mounted on Frank's horse. The animal, when he foundhimself at liberty, had made straight for camp, and his appearancethere, without his rider, occasioned no little surprise and alarm.Dick, as usual, predicted that "Frank warn't a bit hurt. He would besartin to turn up all right." But still he did not know but the younghunter had got himself into "some scrape," in which he would needassistance, and agreed with Mr. Winters that it would be best to hunthim up. The latter was fast falling in with the trapper's opinion,that his nephews were "'bout the keerlessest chaps agoin';" andalthough he knew that they always succeeded in bringing themselves"safe out of all their scrapes," he felt considerably relieved, whenhe saw that Sleepy Sam had carried them out of reach of the claws ofthe grizzly.
Archie, when he found that assistance was at hand, stopped and facedthe bear, intending to try a shot at him. But the trappers gallopedtoward them, Dick shouting, "Hold on thar, you keerless feller; me an'Bob'll take him off your hands. We'll show you how they hunt bars inMexico. We'll hang the varmint."
The trapper swung a lasso above his head, as he spoke, and brought itdown across Pete's sides, in a way that made the spirited animalprance in the most lively manner. The horse was still unwilling toapproach the bear; but he knew full well that he carried a rider whowas able to enforce obedience.
The grizzly stopped for a moment when he saw these new enemiesapproaching, then he rushed toward old Bob, who was in advance of hiscompanion. But he was met by the trapper's dog, which attacked himwith such fury that the bear was obliged to stop and defend himself.Old Bob rode in a circle around the combatants, holding his lasso inhis hand all ready for a throw, and yelling with all the strength ofhis lungs to encourage the dog. Dick was making desperate efforts tojoin his companion, but his horse stopped about a hundred yards fromthe bear, and stubbornly refused to go nearer. His rider, resolved tohave his own way, beat him most unmercifully with his lasso, and, asthe horse appeared to be equally determined, the boys were unable todecide how the battle would end. All this while Useless had kept upthe contest with the bear, and the animal finding that he could notelude his attacks, rose on his haunches and struck at the dog with hispaws. Old Bob had been waiting for this. Swinging his lasso around hishead, he launched it at the bear, and as the noose settled down abouthis neck, he turned his horse and galloped off. The next moment therewas a heavy thud, a smothered growl of
rage, and the grizzly wasprostrate on the prairie. He, however, quickly regained his feet,and, disregarding the attacks of the dog, rushed with open mouthtoward old Bob. Now was the time for Dick. Having, at last, beenwhipped into obedience, Pete gamely approached the bear, and, in aninstant more, the grizzly was powerless. Dick was on one side of him,old Bob on the other; and their lassos were drawn so taut he could notturn either way. If he attempted to attack Bob, he was checked byDick; and if he rushed upon the latter, old Bob's lasso stopped him.The grizzly's struggles were desperate; his growls terrific. He toreat the lassos with his claws, and exerted all his tremendous strengthto break the rawhide ropes, which were drawn as tight as abow-string. But the conflict, desperate as it was, lasted only a shorttime. The grizzly's struggles grew weaker, his growls fainter, andfinally he sank on the prairie dead. The trappers slackened up theirlassos, and Mr. Winters and the boys, who had closely watched thissingular contest, rode up to examine their prize.
"Thar's your bar, you keerless fellers," said Dick. "If you don't letthese yere varmints alone, you'll git yourselves in a bad scrape, oneof these days, now, I tell you. A grizzly don't wait fur a feller towalk up an' shake his fist in his face, an' say, 'Do ye want tofight?' He b'lieves in makin' war on every one he sees."
"We know that!" replied Archie. "This fellow made at us before we gotnear enough to shoot at him."
"Then you did mean to fight him, did you?" asked the trapper, as heand old Bob began to skin the bear. "Wal, it aint every feller thatwould keer 'bout meddlin' with a grizzly so long as the critter lethim alone. I've seed trappers--an' brave ones, too--that wouldshoulder their we'pons an' walk off if they happened to come acrost abar. It aint allers fun to hang a grizzly, neither; fur if your hossfalls down, or your lasso breaks, you're a'most sartin to go under.I've seed more 'n one poor chap pawed up 'cause his hoss warn't quickenough to git out of the varmint's reach."
In this way the trapper talked to the boys until the skin of thegrizzly was taken off, when the travelers returned to their camp. AsArchie remarked, it had been "a great day for bears," and the eveningwas appropriately passed in listening to the stories the trappersrelated of their adventures with these animals.