CHAPTER VII
STAMPEDED BY AN INTRUDER
The sight that had so affected Stacy Brown was that of a black bearnosing about the camp. The animal was apparently following theanise oil trail that Stacy had laid with such care.
The fat boy watched with fascinated eyes for a moment. But, as thebear turned its attention to the camp, Stacy beat a hasty retreatinto the tent. Once inside and the flap pulled shut he made bold topeer out. He saw Charlie John calmly sitting astride the crotch of atree some ten feet from the ground. The Indian did not seem to beworrying. No bears would be likely to reach him up there unless,perhaps, Mr. Bruin decided to climb the tree, which he would not doso long as there remained anything of interest in the camp below.
Stacy ducked back as he saw the animal heading in his direction. Thelad waited, fully expecting to see the pointed, inquisitive nosepoked through the tent opening. But, no bear coming, Stacy againcrept to the front on hands and knees, and, pulling the flap backslightly, peered out. Something cold and chilling poked him in theface.
It was Mr. Bruin's nose. With an unearthly yell, the fat boy leapedback and sprang to the rear of the tent. He turned just in time tosee the bear ambling in.
Stacy whipped out his hunting knife, slitting the canvas at the rear,and made a run for the nearest tree, which proved to be a sapling.He started to climb it, then changing his mind grabbed up a rope andshinned up the tree occupied by Charlie. Charlie helped him up,panting.
"Fat boy much big fool," granted the Indian.
"See here, don't you say that again," threatened Chunky angrily."Why didn't you stay down there and fight him?"
"No gun, no fight."
"No, I see not," answered the boy dryly. "That's what's the matterwith me. I didn't have a gun. Did you see him come into my tent?There he goes. Now what's he up to?"
"Him eat plenty butter."
Him did. The bear ate two pounds of butter that he had pawed fromthe table. The animal licked his chops and looked for more.Fortunately the rest of the butter was suspend from a wire strungbetween two trees out of reach. The animal tried to get at this,failing in which it squatted down at the base of the tree where thehalf-breed and the boy were seeking security.
"He's going to keep us here all the rest of the day," groaned Chunky.
The Indian broke off a piece of limb and taking careful aimthrew it at the bear. It smote Mr. Bruin on the point of his tendernose. The bear uttered a snarl and a growl, then began to rub hispaws over the smarting nose. He danced about very much as had StacyBrown when stung by the bees, and the fat boy shouted with glee. Heshouted louder when the animal suddenly wheeled about on its haunchesand began ambling from the camp.
"Me fix um," grinned the Indian, sliding to the ground.
"You certainly did give him the run," agreed Chunky. "Will he comeback?" Stacy was still prudently sitting astride the limb.
"Him no come back."
"Good. I wish he had taken a slice out of you while he was here,"added the lad under his breath.
"Come down. Him no come back."
"Thank you, I will, seeing that you put it that way," answeredChunky, descending from the tree. "We know how to give hears therun, don't we, John Charles?"
"Huh! Much fool!" grunted the Indian.
"Much butter gone," he added, ruefully surveying the butter plate."Guide him git mad."
"That won't hurt us any, John. He will be glad to know that we drovethe bear off. I'll tell him what a brave thing we did. Hark!"
"White men come back," nodded John.
"How do you know?"
"Hear um."
"Yes, I hear something, too, but I don't know who or what I hear."
"Hear um. Mr. Vaughn no come 'long."
"You have sharp ears, Mr. John Charles. We'll see how good yourhearing really is."
Stacy opened his eyes when, a few minutes later, all of the partycame hiking into camp, with the exception of Cale Vaughn. TheIndian's sharp ears had heard aright.
"Where's the guide?" demanded Chunky.
"He left us on the other side of the creek to follow out a bear trackthat he just picked up," answered Tad. "He will be here pretty soon."
"What, haven't you anything to eat?" called Ned.
"Not time yet. Besides, Johnnie Charles and Brown Stacy have beenbusy most of the afternoon."
John grinned.
"You fellows chasing bear tracks, eh?"
"No. Following them," corrected Tad.
"If you want to catch bears you had better stay right here in thecamp. This is the headquarters for bears as well as for Pony RiderBoys."
"What has been going on here?" asked Tad, eyeing the fat boy keenly,observing that Stacy's face was flushed and excited.
"What's been going on? I'll tell you. We had a call from a bear, abear almost as big as my pony."
"What, bears here in camp?" exclaimed Walter apprehensively.
"Yes, bears here in camp. But I drove him off after a fiercehand-to-hand conflict in which I nearly lost my life. Yes, sir, Ifought that bear right there in my tent and--and you can see theresult of the fray if you will go in my tent."
"Where did you say you were when the bear was here?" interruptedButler.
"Fat boy up tree," the half-breed informed them.
"I thought so," nodded Tad, grinning.
"Well, tell us about the bear."
"Him eat butter from table, then him go way again," answered Charlie.
"I really believe there has been a bear here," pondered Ned.
"You are right there has. You go look in my tent, if you don'tbelieve me," answered Stacy. "Yes, sir, and I slapped him right inthe face when he tried to kiss me. What do you think of that?"
"Tried to kiss you?" questioned Walter.
"Yes. Stuck his cold nose right against my nose. Ugh! Didn't he,John?"
The Indian nodded, but without realizing what Stacy was saying.
"Why didn't you shoot him?" asked Butler.
"Gun in other tent," replied Charlie.
"Yes. And we don't need guns. I was going to use my trusty knife,but I didn't want to hurt the poor thing." added Chunky.
"Brave man," remarked Ned.
"I am glad I wasn't here," said Walter. "I know I should have beenscared half to death. Weren't you scared, Chunky?"
"What! Me scared?" demanded the fat boy, throwing out his chest."Did you ever hear of Stacy Brown being scared? Oh, wow! Yeow!"
"What, what, what---" shouted the Professor.
"There he is again!" yelled Stacy. "Run! Run, fellows; he's afterus! Run, I tell you!"
Stacy, acting upon his own advice was already shinning up a tree.The others were not far behind him. So sudden had been theappearance of Bruin that they had no time to think. Even Tad Butlerfollowed the rest when the bear ambled toward him. Charlie John, atthe first alarm, had made tracks for the protection of the crotchwhere he had sought security on the first visit of the bear.
"More bear," grunted the Indian.
"What do you mean?" called Ned.
"He means this isn't the same one," Stacy informed them.
"I thought you weren't afraid?" jeered Ned Rector.
"I'm not," protested Stacy.
"No, I see you are not. Why don't you get down and fight him, then?"
"I--I haven't got my knife," stammered the fat boy.
Tad began scrambling from the tree.
"Tad, Tad!" called the Professor.
"Yes, sir?"
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get that bear if I can."
"Get back there!"
Tad slipped off the rope that he had bound about his waist beforestarting out on the hike that morning. Each one of the party had putaway his rifle upon reaching camp. Some had their hunting knives ontheir persons, but those were their only weapons.
Tad's Rope Wriggled Out.]
The bear was now ambling about the camp, nosing in
to everything insight, helping himself to such food as he was able to find,overturning packs and dishes in the search for more. Observing Tad,Mr. Bruin lurched toward the boy. Tad was struggling with his ropeto get it in shape to cast.
"Run, Tad!" shouted Rector.
Tad did run, dodging here and there to gain time. In a few momentshe had his rope ready, then began a hide-and-seek game between bearand boy, the Pony Rider Boy watching for an opportunity to use therope. All at once his rope wriggled out. The big loop slippedneatly over the head of the bear and was quickly jerked taut.
Such a yell as went up from the boys in the trees! Even theProfessor shouted his approval. But the bear became suddenlyelectrified. Rearing on his hind legs he began pawing at the leash,snarling and growling furiously. Tad meanwhile was dancing here andthere, jerking on the rope, tugging and trying his best to pull hiscaptive down to all fours. Tad might as well have sought to pullover one of the tall spruce, for the bear's strength, of course, wasfar superior to that of the boy who had roped him.
Ned Rector, by this time, was scrambling from the tree. Tad was toobusy to observe what his companion was doing. Ned ran for his tent,appearing a moment later with his rifle.
"Look out!" warned the Professor. "You will hit one of us."
"No, I won't. I guess I can't miss the mark so close asthis."
Ned, at the first favorable opportunity, raised his rifle and, takingquick aim, fired. The bear staggered backward, and Tad fell overflat on his back. Ned Rector had shot the rope in two close up toMr. Bruin's head.
"Shoot again! Quick!" yelled Tad.
Instead of doing so, Rector, seeing what he had done, hurled hisrifle away and made a dash for a tree, for the bear was amblingtoward him, showing his teeth and growling angrily. Tad had sprungto his feet and was looking about for the rifle when a yell from theboys up the trees caused him to glance back apprehensively. What hesaw decided the lad on the instant. Three other bears, large ones,were ambling into camp, nosing about and sniffing the ground. Atthis juncture, in his excitement, Stacy fell out of the tree. Tadran to assist the fat boy up again, but Chunky needed no help. Hewas in more of a hurry than he ever had been in his life. This timehe shinned up a sapling, the nearest tree to him.
The sapling bent under his weight; it bent perilously close to one ofthe bears--so close, in fact, that the fat boy's feet struck the headof the bear. The animal raised on its haunches and swung a mightypaw. The paw caught Stacy Brown, sending him rolling, tumbling andyelling over the ground.
The boys who were perched in the trees groaned. Ned began scramblingdown again.
"Stay where you are!" shouted Tad.