CHAPTER XIII
A RACE FOR LIFE
Now any hunter of the great North-West Territory will tell you that theonly animal, perhaps, that no man can ever count on is a bear.
The big white polar bear and the grizzly of the Rocky Mountains arealways savage, most horribly dangerous. But the black and brown bearswill seldom interfere with man; never, unless wounded, or with cubs,when there is plenty of food about. The safest time for bears isperhaps in the autumn, when their cubs are growing up and they havequantities of berries, honey, and such food to eat.
Now Nell knew all this very well. She and David had often seen bears.She had no fear of them, at the same time uncertainty remained. And itwas a bad time of year!
This particular bear had been asleep in the cave above. He had waked upwith the ice still covering the fish, and small animals mostly slain bythe foxes. He was probably turning over dead wood logs to hunt forbeetles and slugs, but that is a poor meal to go on, after about fivemonths' fast, and he was in a very irritable mood.
Slowly he raised himself on his haunches and sat up. Nell would haveliked to stand still and watch him, but felt it would not do. She movedaway, quicker and quicker, but trying to do it in an unaggressive way.
"Good thing we haven't got the shoes on," she said to David, makingtalk, as it were, with one eye on the big black bear.
"Why?" asked the boy, shifting his into an easier position where theywere slung across his shoulder.
"Because I think we shall have to run for it."
"Oh no!"
"Oh yes," said Nell; "he's in a bad temper. What a nuisance!"
"Can't we shoot him?" suggested David, as they moved on with increasingspeed.
"Shoot! My dear boy, with automatics! He wouldn't mind much unless weshot his eye out, and then he'd be deadly! Wish I'd brought the littlerifle, but I thought it was safer with the pelts on the sled, it's soheavy to carry. You want something pretty strong to stop a bear. Dadsays their skins are so thick. Bother it, he's coming. Run, Da, anddon't tumble over the roots, whatever you do. Remember the bunk houseis good and close. We'll get there."
"Where's that donkey Robin?" muttered David, but Nell did not answer;she was intent on this very tiresome adventure. It was fairly plainthat the dog had found the bear trail and followed it to the cave. Nodoubt he was hunting up there among the rocks, and in a way she was notanxious for him to come till this was over, because a dog has smallchance with a bear if it comes to fighting at close quarters. Peoplehave an idea that a bear kills by hugging, and will always squeeze hisenemy to death, whereas the astonishing weapon it uses is the lightningswiftness of its _strike_. A bear strikes with his fore-paw--which isarmed with terrible rending claw--as quickly as a snake darts, and hecan break the neck of a moose or a buffalo with one smack. Nell knewall about this and she did not want Robin to come to close quarters,therefore she would not whistle, but ran on, David keeping up with her,faster and faster.
Now these two were very swift of foot, but they had been greatly triedfor a good many days and nights, they were hungry and a bit spent, forit was afternoon; lastly, they were cumbered with their packs and shoes.They were handicapped, but fortunately for them so also was the bear,for he, too, was not at his best.
A certain great writer says that an elephant does not seem to be madefor speed, but if he wanted to catch an express train he would probablycatch it. A bear, too, does not look as though he could run, but hecan, very fast indeed, and it took all the running those two couldmanage to keep ahead. Nell's anxiety was David chiefly. Could he holdout?
Fortunately it was all downhill, and they were very surefooted with longpractice of running over rough ground. The bear came shambling onbehind, grunting with anger.
"Don't look round, Da," ordered Nell sharply, "you'll trip up! Lookwhere you're going! The bunk house is quite close now."
David did as he was told, knowing she was right about the tripping. Astumble would be death. Just where you put your feet matteredenormously at that moment. The bunk house was close--which wascomforting.
What he did not realise, and Nell wanted to keep from him, was that thebear was gaining. Every time she sent a glancing look over her shoulderhe was a little nearer. She measured the distance to the bunk houseanxiously. It was touch and go; she would not admit to herself that itcould not be done. What was the distance? Fifty yards, forty? Less?
And at that moment David went headlong over a bunch of snags half hiddenby snow. He was looking round to see what Nell was looking at. Just asanybody might. He wanted to see what she thought and felt, because herealised great danger.
Nell sprang to him. He was on his feet in less time than it takes totell about it, but the bear had gained. The girl glanced once at himand her soul sickened. His red mouth was open and his little pig-likeeyes were full of mad rage, even the horrid smell of his rusty coat cameto her on the clean air.
"Run, Da," she said, keeping her voice level, "run! We shall do it,"but she was loosening her pistol in its pocket and getting ready for thestand that must come directly.
On the instant she felt a stab of dread, from behind came a suddenbell-like bay--the note of Robin on a scent in full cry.
He had been hunting round about the dens in the rocks and hit on thebear's fresh tracks. It was a beautiful sound, that deep note of thebig hound, and to Nell it meant rescue, she believed. One glance shetook at the wood behind. Up on the slope she saw the black shape ofRobin, nose to ground, racing down on the track of the bear--and hismistress.
He was galloping, tail high, heavy ears drooped forward. Again he gaveout his deep bay.
The bear checked his speed, wavered, and then came on again, but withoutthe terrible intentness of his previous attack. Being a wild creaturehe was aware of danger. Something was coming!
Nell increased her speed, if that were possible, and heartened herbrother with a joyous cry:
"On, on, Da--let's get the door open, and then call Robin in. Hemustn't fight the bear."
The difficulty of opening the door with the bear at her elbow, so tospeak, had been the haunting terror. One couldn't do it. There wouldbe no time.
She and David raced down to the door, just as the bear turned to dealwith this swift black shape that leaped round him in the snow, keepingjust out of reach of his death-dealing forearm.
"Oh, the key, the key--it's locked!" cried Nell rather desperately."Oh, Da! Where did Dad say----" She tried to think. David wasabsorbed in watching Robin's assault on the bear, which was sitting upagain, making swift smacks at the illusive black attacker.
"Well _done_--go it, Robin!"
"Oh, don't, he'll be killed," Nell expostulated in an agonised voice,while her eyes travelled eagerly round the door frame, and she shook thesolid latch.
"He won't be killed. He's too quick," said the boy triumphantly. "Key?Oh, there it is on a nail under the eave. I say, Nell, look at Rob!He's a right smart one!"
It was true. Rob was tormenting the bear with great cleverness, butNell was far more intent on getting into safety, and probably few peoplehave experienced a warmer sense of relief than she did when she openedthe door of the bunk house.
Not much of a place, but the relief!
She glanced round with a satisfied look, and saw four bunks--like theberths of a ship--on one side, a rusty stove laid ready for lighting, asthe custom is the outgoing traveller must lay the fire for the one whoarrives wet and chilled, a pile of chopped wood, and a rough cupboard.Besides that a heavily made bench and a table. But the joy of it! Nellcould have danced round that very rough table in spite of her wearylegs, but there was Robin to capture and a furious bear outside.
After that look round she rushed out again and whistled to the dog.Then she called. Robin was very loath to leave the great black brute,out of whose reach he kept for the time being.
He came at Nell's call reluctantly. The bear came, too, b
ut with morecaution as he was not sure how much he liked the log house.
Then the heavy door was slammed and locked, and the three sat down andbreathed hard amid bursts of laughter. Robin laughed, too, as dogs do,his lips lifted over his teeth. His eyes said:
"What a spree, wasn't it?" and he laid a heavy paw on Nell's knee.
She stroked his black silky head with a hand that shook just a little.
"If it hadn't been for Rob, Da, you'd have been--well, it was touch andgo when you fell over that root."
"Rotten thing!" said David cheerfully. "But you know it's not so easyto run for your life carrying a mass of things, and the ground alltangled up under the snow. Well, here we are! I say, how jolly! Nell,what will the old brute do?"
"Go away, presently," answered his sister as she kneeled to light thestove. "Now, then, first off with the moccasins and have our drystockings, then we'll have a real decent supper. Da, put the fur bagsin the bunks and bring those bunk blankets near the stove; we'll have itall hot and dry."
The first thing that happened after that was a discovery, and not apleasant one either. There was a little food in the cupboard--tea andcocoa in tins, flour, and tobacco, and a small bit of bacon frozen hard.It was obviously the cache of some trapper who had passed here on hisway down to Moose River, and as he would depend on it when he returnedprobably, they were in honour bound either to leave it alone, or putback what they took. Nell remembered with a sudden shock of dismay thatAndrew Lindsay's cache was outside. He had described the place at thecorner of the shack. Not trusting some of the trappers--with goodreason--he had made a cache of his own. That would have been quite allright if the bear had not been outside.
They had to laugh and be thankful for the small supply in the cupboard.In the morning, or late that night perhaps, they would dig for "Dad'scache" and put back what they had used--also have another supper and agood breakfast.
They gave Robin his last piece of fish, and at the same momentremembered that it was not possible to make tea without water, or getwater without snow, and all the snow was outside!
Long they waited and listened, their only comfort being the warmth ofthe fire. They were very patient, as people learn to be who live hardlyand have to make, get, and do everything for themselves by the work oftheir own wits and fingers. It is not an easy life, but it teaches youa lot which is never wasted.
Presently, from the little window, glazed with parchment, they caught asight of the bear sitting up holding in his arms a piece of logwood,which he seemed to be licking--for insects probably.
"Oh, _poor_ old thing!" said Nell joyfully, and she rushed to the doorwith her billy-can.
Very soon after the smell of hot tea and baking bread made the log housefeel like home.