After beating their brains, for some time to no purpose, an exclamation
from the izzard-hunter at length announced that some happy idea had
occurred to him. All eyes were at once turned towards him; while the
voice of Ivan was quickly heard, interrogating him as to the object of
his exclamation.
"I've got a plan, young monsieur!" replied the hunter, "by which I'll
either force the bear to come down, or roast him up yonder where he
lies. _Parbleu_! I've got an excellent idea!"
"What is it? what is it?" eagerly inquired Ivan; though from what the
izzard-hunter had said, he already half comprehended the design.
"Patience, young monsieur! in a minute you shall see!"
All three now gathered around the chasseur, and watched his movements.
They saw him pour a quantity of gunpowder into the palm of his hand; and
then tear a strip of cotton rag from a large piece which he had drawn
out of his pouch. This he saturated with saliva and then coated it over
with the powder. He next proceeded to rub both rag and powder
together--until, after a considerable friction between the palms of his
hands, the cotton became once more dry, and was now thoroughly saturated
with the powder, and quite blackened with it.
The next proceeding on the part of the chasseur was to procure a small
quantity of dead moss, which was easily obtained from the trunks of the
surrounding trees; and this, mixed with a handful or two of dry grass,
he rolled up into a sort of irregular clew.
The man now felt in his pouch; and, after a little fumbling there,
brought forth a small box that was seen to contain lucifer-matches.
Seemingly satisfied with their inspection, he returned the box to its
place, and then made known the object for which all these preliminary
manoeuvres had been practised. Our young hunters had already more than
half divined it, and it only confirmed their anticipations when the
hunter declared his intention to climb the tree and _set fire to the
nest_. It is needless to say that one and all of them approved of the
scheme, while they admired its originality and cunning. Its boldness,
too, did not escape their admiration, for it was clearly a feat of
daring and danger. The bottom of the nest might be reached easily
enough; for though a tall tree, it was by no means a difficult one to
climb. There were branches all along its trunk from bottom to top; and
to a Pyrenean hunter, who, when a boy, as he told them, had played
pigeon vidette in one of the "crows' nests" they had seen, the climbing
of such a tree was nothing. It was not in this that the danger lay, but
in something very different. It was in the contingency, that, while up
in the branches, and before he could effect his purpose, the bear might
take a fancy to come down. Should he do so, then, indeed, would the
life of the venturesome hunter be in deadly peril.
He made light of the matter, however, and, warning the others to get
their guns ready and stand upon their guard, he sprang forward to the
trunk, and commenced "swarming" upward.
Almost as rapidly as a bear itself could have ascended, the
izzard-hunter glided up the tree, swinging himself from branch to
branch, and resting his naked feet--for he had thrown off his shoes--on
knots and other inequalities, where no branch offered. In this way he
at length got so close to the nest, that he could without difficulty
thrust his hand into the bottom of it.
He was now seen drawing forth a number of the dry sticks, and forming a
cavity near the lower part of the huge mass. He operated with great
silence and circumspection--taking all the care he could not to make his
presence known to the bear, nor in any way disturb whatever dreams or
reflections Bruin might then be indulging in.
In a short time he had hollowed out a little chamber among the sticks--
just large enough for his purpose,--and, taking the ball of dry grass
out of his pouch, he loosened it a little, and then placed it within the
cavity.
It was but the work of another minute to light a lucifer-match, and set
fire to the long strips of tinder rag that hung downwards from the
grass.
This done, the izzard-hunter swung himself to the next branch below;
and, even faster than he had gone up, he came scrambling down the trunk.
Just as he reached the ground, the grass was seen catching; and amidst
the blue smoke that was oozing thickly out of the little chamber, and
slowly curling up around the edges of the nest, a red blaze could be
distinguished--accompanied with that crackling noise that announces the
kindling of a fire.
The four hunters stood ready, watching the progress of the little
flame--at the same time directing their glances around the rim of the
nest.
They had not long to wait for the _denouement_. The smoke had already
caught the attention of the bear; and the snapping of the dry faggots,
as they came in contact with the blazing grass, had awakened him to a
sense of his dangerous situation.
Long before the blaze had mounted near him, he was seen craning his neck
over the edge of the nest; first on one side, then on another, and
evidently not liking what he saw. Once or twice he came very near
having a bullet sent at his head; but his restlessness hindered them
from getting a good aim, and for the time he was left alone.
Not for long, however: for he did not much longer remain upon his
elevated perch. Whether it was the smoke that he was unable longer to
endure, or whether he knew that the conflagration was at hand, does not
clearly appear; but from his movements it was evident the nest was
getting too hot to hold him.
And no doubt it was too hot at that crisis. Had he remained in it but
two minutes longer, an event would have occurred that would have ruined
everything. The bear would either have been roasted to a cinder; or, at
all events, his skin would have been singed, and, of course, completely
spoilt for the purpose for which it was required!
Up to this moment that thought had never occurred to the young hunters;
and now that it did occur, they stood watching the movements of the bear
with feelings of keen apprehension. A shout of joy was heard both from
Alexis and Ivan as the great quadruped was seen springing out from the
smoke, and clutching to a thick branch that traversed upward near the
nest. Embracing the branch with his paws, he commenced descending stern
foremost along the limb; but a more rapid descent was in store for him.
Out of the four bullets fired into his body, one at least must have
reached a mortal part; for his forearms were seen to relax their hold,
his limbs slipped from the bark, and his huge body came "bump" to the
ground, where it lay motionless as a log and just as lifeless.
Meanwhile the flames enveloped the nest, and in five minutes more the
whole mass was on fire, blazing upward like a beacon. The dry sticks
snapped and crackled--the pitchy branches of the pine hissed and
spurted--the red cinders shot out like stars, and came showering down to
the earth--while high overhead could be heard the vengeful cries of the
vultures, as they saw the destruction of their aerial habitation.
But the hunters took no heed of all this. Their task was accomplished,
or nearly so. It only remained to divest Bruin of his much-coveted
skin; and, having done this in a skilful and proper manner, they mounted
their roadsters, and once more took their route across the mountains.
On reaching the first village on the Spanish side, they parted with the
expert izzard-hunter and his hired charge--having well remunerated him
for his threefold service, each branch of which he had performed to
their entire satisfaction.