JAN'S JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF MAKE-BELIEVE
After the first wild dash for freedom, Jan settled to a steady jog for
the rest of the night. When dawn came, some instinct made him turn into
the brush where it grew most thickly. His one fear now was that William
might find him. His one wish was to get back home. He did not know what
kept him moving toward the south. He had nothing to guide him save the
strange feeling that made him sure if he just kept on, some day he would
reach the gate of the bungalow and see Hippity-Hop and the captain
watching down the street for him.
Jan was able to lap water when he found it, but he could not fight, nor
eat, even if he had found food, for the muzzle clamped his jaws
together. He knew better now than to tug at it with his claws or rub it
against the ground. The second night he was very hungry, but he started
hopefully on his way, plodding steadily in the same direction. At dawn
he was faint and weak from hunger and exhaustion, and when it grew dark
again he did not want to move. Then he thought of the captain. Wearily
Jan rose to his feet and with low-hanging head he dragged slowly along.
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.
"No name or license," he spoke at last, "but somebody will be looking
for him. I wonder how long he has been wandering around with this muzzle
on him, poor chap!"
"Bring water, children," said the mother, "and the things that were left
over from lunch. He must be hungry."
The tin pail was rescued from the ground and filled twice with water
before Jan's thirst was slaked and he looked up with grateful eyes and
dripping jaws. While he was drinking his fill, a basket had been opened
by the children and slices of cold meat and bits of buttered bread were
placed before him. He swallowed the food greedily, but paused between
gulps to wag his tail and let them know how he thanked them.
For some time after this he lay quietly resting while the sunbonnet
children sat close beside him and wondered where he came from and what
his name was. Ruth, the younger, put out her hand to touch him timidly.
"I'm not afraid of him. He won't bite. He isn't a bear to eat us all up,
is he, Charlotte?"
"I--I--aren't afraid, either," Charlotte's voice was uncertain, but her
hand touched the dog's big head. Then both children lost all fear of
him and Jan forgot about William and the hours of suffering, for the two
little girls curled close to him, and soon they were all three fast
asleep.
The sun was almost setting when the father and mother tucked the basket
and shawls into the automobile. Jan watched with puzzled eyes as they
carefully put away some little boards. He had noticed when he woke from
his doze that both the man and the woman were sitting on stools with
these boards propped before them, and they were making marks on them.
The father was already in the machine and the little girls climbed in,
then the mother put her foot on the step and Jan let out a wild howl
that made them all start. He thought they were going to leave him behind
and he knew that he could never run fast enough to follow them.
"Good gracious! What a howl!" exclaimed the man, laughing. "We won't
leave you. Jump up, old chap!"
Jan lost no time scrambling into the automobile, then it ran swiftly
along a smooth road which finally twisted through a beautiful cañon.
Great trees were on all sides and a tiny stream bubbled and danced far
below. Birds sang and rabbits dashed out of the brush with swift hops
and jerks, but Jan did not want to eat the rabbits now. The children
kept laughing and clapping their hands, calling to Jan, "Look, look,
quick!" Sometimes their hands pressed his head to make him turn where
they pointed.
Jan was very happy on that ride, but he still hoped that by and by he
might get back home to Hippity-Hop and the captain.