An Encounter with a Bear
Rapidly the duffel was made into two packs. These were both heavy and
bulky.
"Gee!" said Lew, as he surveyed the packs, "I hope we don't meet any state
cops. They would arrest us for peddling without licenses."
There was small chance, however, of their meeting any one, unless it might
be some lone fisherman. On every hand the forest stretched, seemingly
interminable.
"I guess we'd better get our bearings," said Charley.
He drew the map from his pocket and spread it on a flat rock. The two boys
pored over it for some minutes.
"We have to cross these two mountains," said Lew, "and camp just the other
side of the summit of the third. That's about the same as climbing over
three mountains. There are two valleys that we'll have to get across. I
judge we'll be just about as far from the road as our old camp was. That's
twelve miles or so."
"Gee!" laughed Charley. "That means I've got to hike twelve miles over
these mountains every time I want to talk to anybody on the telephone. I'm
glad Mr. Marlin doesn't care much for talk. The telephone is all right,
but compared to the wireless it's like a candle beside an electric light.
Mr. Marlin was right when he said the fellows couldn't be listening in for
me all the time, but you just bet I'm going to figure out some way to use
my wireless. Why, I've got to, if I'm going to make good. This whole neck
of the woods could burn up while I'm hiking twelve miles to call help and
twelve more to get back to the blaze. And I reckon I'd feel like putting
up a stiff fight after hiking twenty-four miles over these mountains. Mr.
Marlin is all right, but he isn't quite up to date. He still thinks the
wireless is a sort of plaything."
"What you need, Charley, is a battery powerful enough to carry a message
to some regular wireless station, where an operator is on duty all the
time."
"I've been thinking of that, too, Lew. It wouldn't take so very much more
power to carry to the government station at Frankfort. I'm sure the
operators there would be glad to help us out. You remember how Henry
Harper helped Mr. Axton, the day operator over there, when he had
appendicitis. The operators have been mighty nice to us fellows of the
Wireless Patrol ever since. The difficulty would be to get the battery.
Things cost so much now that I don't see how I could ever save enough to
pay for it. You know I'll have to give Dad about all I earn."
"I'm going to talk to the boys about it, Charley," said Lew. "Maybe
somebody can think of a way out. Gee! We ought to be able to do something,
with Roy a regular steamship operator and Henry almost as good as a
substitute government wireless man."
By this time they were well into the forest. They were climbing through a
notch over the first range of mountains. When they reached the valley
beyond, they had to turn to their left and go up the valley two or three
miles, until they struck a fire trail. This trail led straight over the
second mountain, which was really the knob at the head of the burned
valley. It was on this knob that they had found the rude watch-tower after
their meeting with the ranger, Mr. Morton. Beyond this knob they had still
to traverse a wide valley and climb a third mountain before they reached
their camp site. But there was a good fire trail almost the entire
distance.
Traveling with such heavy packs on their backs, the two lads made but slow
progress. Every little while they had to stop to rest. During one of these
pauses they heard a low, whining sound.
"Listen! What is that?" asked Charley, who loved animals and was keenly
sensitive to their sufferings. "It sounds like a dog."
They stood motionless. Faint but distinct came the unmistakable cry of a
dog in distress.
Charley dropped his pack instantly. "There's a dog in trouble," he said,
"and we've got to help him."
He began to whistle. Then he called, "Here, boy! Here, boy!"
From somewhere ahead of them came a joyous bark, followed by a painful
whine.
Charley picked up his pack. "Come on," he said, and hastened toward the
sound. But he did not go far. Soon he caught sight of a dog, painfully
limping toward him. Charley ran up to the animal, which wagged its tail
violently and barked with joy.
"He's only a half grown pup," said Charley, noticing the big paws. "Isn't
he a fine young fellow?"
The animal leaped up against Charley and licked his hand. "Come here,
boy," said Charley, taking the dog in his arms. "Let's see what's wrong."
Charley began to examine the animal's paws. The dog submitted patiently.
"Nothing wrong with that one," commented Charley, dropping a fore paw.
But when he began to feel the other front foot the dog whined with pain.
"No wonder," said Charley with sympathy. "Look here, Lew," and he pointed
to an enormous thorn that had embedded itself in the paw.
"Hold him tight while I take it out," said Charley as he drew forth his
knife, opened the small blade, slit the skin slightly, and carefully dug
the thorn out. The foot was festered and swollen. Charley squeezed out
the pus.
"Don't let him get that paw in the dirt," he said, and ran to his pack. He
fished out the first-aid kit and got some absorbent cotton and a
disinfectant. He wrapped a tiny bit of cotton around the end of a twig,
wet it with water from the canteen and swabbed out the little wound. Then
he soaked another bit of cotton with the disinfectant and stuffed it into
the foot.
"We'll let that stay there a while," he said.
"The dog is probably lost. We'll keep him until we find his owner."
Relieved of the thorn, the little animal frisked about, limping but
slightly. He fawned upon Charley and seemed to be trying to express his
gratitude.
The two boys shouldered their packs again and started on. Charley whistled
to the pup, but the call was unnecessary. The pup stuck to their heels as
close as a sticking-plaster.
"They say two's a company, but three's a crowd," laughed Charley, "but I
guess it doesn't apply to dogs."
"You never can tell," replied Lew. "A pup of that age may get you into all
sorts of difficulty."
"I'll take a chance on it," smiled Charley, as he bent and patted the dog.
They went on. For a long time they traveled in silence, the little dog
trotting and frisking at their heels. From time to time they stopped to
rest. Their packs were growing heavy and neither felt like talking. They
settled to their tasks and plodded on. When they came to the fire trail,
they turned to their right and went straight over the first mountain. The
way was smooth enough, but the grade was very steep and it tested their
endurance to the utmost. Every few minutes they were compelled to rest.
Finally they topped the ridge and went down into the next valley.
The bottom here was very wide, for the mountains had drawn far apart.
Apparently the valley soil was rich. It seemed to be deep and black, and
the trees grew to massive size. Ordinarily the two boys would have taken
keen enjoyment in the sight of such fine timber, but by this time they
were too tired to care much about anything except reaching their
destination.
At the foot of the last ridge they took a long rest. They were just
starting on when Lew heard a peculiar little sound behind some bushes just
off the fire trail. Curious to know what might have made the sound, he
dropped his pack and went to investigate. Behind the bush he found a
cunning, little black animal that did not seem to be at all afraid of him.
He picked it up and rejoined his comrade.
"Charley," he said. "See what I have found. What is it?"
"It's a bear cub," said Charley. "You had better leave it alone. If its
mother came along, she might make it hot for us."
"I'm going to keep it for a pet," said Lew. "I knew a fellow who had a
pet bear cub once and----"
Lew never finished the sentence. A savage growl sounded close at hand and
a great black animal came rushing through the bushes. Lew dropped the cub
and took to his heels. The bear followed in hot pursuit. She was a great,
clumsy, lumbering beast, and yet she got over the ground with astonishing
speed. Lew ran as fast as he could, but the bear gained on him at every
stride.
"Climb a tree, Lew," cried Charley, slipping off his pack and starting to
his chum's assistance. "Be quick about it."
Lew headed for the first tree he saw that was small enough to climb. It
was a little pole, a foot in diameter. The lowest branch was seven or
eight feet above the ground. Lew raced toward it, gathered himself for a
leap and sprang upward. He caught the limb and swung himself up with all
possible speed. He was not a second too soon. As Lew's body shot upward,
the bear rose on her hind feet, and the vicious swipe of her paw barely
missed Lew's body. Lew drew himself erect and climbed upward a few feet,
where he paused to look down at the bear.
Meantime, Charley was following the animal. He hadn't the slightest idea
of what he should do. The law protected the bear at that season of the
year and he did not know whether he would be justified in shooting her
under the circumstances or not. And anyway, his rifle was back with his
pack. He had his little axe on his hip, however, and he drew it from its
sheath so that he would have it ready in case he had to use it.
The problem was settled for him, however, in a very unexpected manner. The
little dog, which had been playing with a stick at some distance from the
two boys, noticed Charley running and came tearing after him. Then he saw
the bear and went after her at full speed. The instant the bear heard the
dog, she turned to face him; then as quickly faced about again and started
to climb the very tree in which Lew had taken refuge.
"Get that dog away from here," yelled Lew in consternation, as he began to
climb frantically toward the top of the tree.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Charley burst into a roar of
laughter. But a second appeal from his chum stifled his laughter. He
grabbed the dog and started to carry it away. But he had not gone two rods
before Lew called frantically for him to bring the dog back. Charley
turned around and saw the bear climbing after Lew. As long as the dog was
under the tree, the bear had paid no attention to Lew. But when Charley
started away with the pup, the angry bear continued her pursuit. Charley
returned the dog to the base of the tree.
"Sick 'em," he cried. "Catch 'em."
The little pup made a terrific clamor and the bear paid no further
attention to Lew, who immediately began to look for a way out of his
predicament. Within two or three feet of the base of the tree which he
had climbed, a second tree had sprung up. But the two had grown away from
each other, much like the sloping sides of the letter V. At first Lew
thought he could cross over to the other tree, but a careful inspection
showed him that this would be impossible. Down where the bear was he could
have swung himself from one tree to the other; but the farther up the tree
he was the farther he was from the other tree and the smaller the limbs
were. And Lew was now as near the top of the tree as he dared to go. To
try to leap from his present position to the other tree was not to be
thought of. It would certainly mean a fall of thirty feet or more. And Lew
did not dare come down nearer the bear, lest the animal should again try
to claw him. There was no apparent way to get the bear out of the tree,
and Lew knew that he could not stay up where he was indefinitely.
Charley tried to divert the bear's attention to himself by reaching up the
tree with his axe and striking the trunk. The bear growled but made no
attempt to reach Charley. Her attention was centred wholly on the dog.
With her hair erect, her lips drawn back, her ears laid flat, and her
massive claws ready to tear and rend, the beast presented such a fearful
front that Charley did not dare take the dog away. One swipe of those
paws, or one crunch of the great jaws might cripple Lew for life, or even
kill him outright.
"Keep perfectly quiet, Lew," said Charley, "and maybe the bear will
forget about you. She's terribly enraged at this pup."
Charley felt in his pocket and found a piece of strong cord. He knotted it
around the pup's neck and tied the animal to the tree.
"I hope that bear won't come down and kill him while I'm gone," he
muttered to himself. To Lew he said, "I've got an idea. I'm going to get
the rope and see if I can lasso the bear from the other tree."
"Sick 'em, pup," he cried, urging the little dog to make another frenzied
outburst. And while the dog was making the valley ring with his clamor,
Charley raced to his pack and got the coil of rope. Back he ran and
hastily climbed the tree beside the one in which Lew and the bear were
resting. The bear eyed him angrily, but kept her attention centred on the
pup. Charley climbed to a point a little higher than the limb on which the
bear rested. Quickly he fashioned a noose and got his rope ready for a
throw. Then he realized that he could never make a successful cast among
the limbs.
An idea came to him. Drawing his little axe, he quickly cut and trimmed a
small limb, leaving a fork on the end of it. He put the noose on the
forked end and cautiously extended the pole. All the while he was urging
on the dog, which now began to jump up against the trunk of the tree. The
bear more and more centred her attention on the yelping dog. Her hair
bristled, and she growled continually. She bent her head down and got
ready to deal the dog a savage blow if he came up the tree. Her posture
could not have been better for Charley's purpose. Swiftly but quietly he
extended the pole until the noose was just beyond the bear's nose, then
lowered it swiftly and pulled back hard on the rope. Luck was with him.
The bear, taken utterly by surprise, was fairly noosed before she saw the
rope.
Charley's sharp jerk to tighten the lasso almost pulled the bear from her
perch. She grasped the trunk of the tree with her paws to avoid falling,
and that gave Charley an opportunity to tighten and secure his rope. To
keep from falling, the bear had to maintain her hold on the tree. Thus she
could not claw or bite the rope.
"I've got her," shouted Charley.
It was true enough. In a moment he was almost sorry that he had her. For
Lew could not reach the ground without climbing past the bear, and
although the animal was caught by the neck, he dared not trust himself
within reach of those fearful claws. It occurred to Charley that perhaps
he could strangle the bear, or even pull her from the tree. He did not
want to kill the animal lest he get into difficulty with the law and so
incur the displeasure of his chief. Nor did he want to tumble her to the
ground because that would certainly mean the breaking of his rope and the
probable loss of part of it.
"What are we going to do, Lew?" he called.
"There's a strong limb about four feet above her head," replied Lew,
peering down through the branches. "If you could get your rope over that,
we could drop her to the ground and strangle her until she's about all in.
Then we could cut the rope and beat it."
"That sounds all right," said Charley, dubiously, "and I guess we'll have
to try it. I see nothing else to do."
Fortunately his rope was long. He had taken a turn or two around a limb
before making his cast, and he now held the bear taut, with ease. The
loose end dangled down the trunk.
"I don't know about this," said Charley with a wry face. "It isn't as
simple as it looks. I'll have to unwind the rope from this limb and hold
it with one hand while I throw the loose end with the other. I don't know
whether I can do it or not. And how am I to get the end again?"
"Can't you catch it with your pole?"
Charley looked at the pole. He had let go of it when he noosed the bear,
but it had lodged in a branch within reach.
"Here goes," he said. "I'll try."
Cautiously he unwrapped one winding from the limb. Then bracing himself,
and pulling hard so as to keep the line taut, he unloosed the second coil.
The rope now hung free in his hand. The bear was not quiet for a moment.
She had struggled constantly from the instant she was noosed. She
continued to tug and pull at the rope. But she was at such a disadvantage
that she could not put her full weight into her struggles. Nevertheless
the strain on Charley's arm was terrific. To lessen the tension would give
the bear more leeway and so make the strain still greater. And to hold the
bear with one hand, while he cast his rope and got it in with the other,
Charley at once saw was impossible.
"I can't do it, Lew," panted Charley. "She's nearly pulling my arm off."
He gathered up the rope and put it back over the limb, preparatory to
taking a turn about the branch once more. While he was attempting to work
the rope around the limb, the dog suddenly increased his clamor.
The bear gave a terrific, convulsive jerk on the rope and jerked it
through Charley's hand. The sudden pull completely unbalanced him and he
fell from the limb. But instantly he tightened his clutch on the slipping
rope and in a second was dangling in air, frightened but safe. He slid to
the ground, and drew the rope taut. Now he had the rope over a limb, as he
wanted it, but the limb was on the wrong tree.
"I'll try it, anyway," he said.
He tied the end of the rope about the trunk of the tree in which Lew and
the bear rested.
"I'm going to pull her off her perch, Lew," he cried. "If I succeed,
she'll swing over toward the other tree. I may be able to pull her up on
her hind feet. Anyway, I think I can hold her, and if you come down as
quick as you can, the two of us can certainly pull her up. Are you ready?"
Lew came down the tree as far as he dared. "I'll be with you the second
she drops," he said. "Pull!"
Charley suddenly threw his entire weight on the rope. The bear, taken by
surprise, was jerked clear of the limb. She dropped downward and then
swung toward the other tree like an enormous pendulum. Lew slid down the
tree like a flash and landed in a heap beside Charley. He was up in an
instant, and, grabbing the rope, added his weight to Charley's. The bear
was fairly on the ground, but almost straight under the limb over which
the rope hung. She was clawing frantically at the noose.
"Let's give a jerk," said Charley. "Together--now!"
They strained suddenly at the rope and the bear rose to her hind feet to
ease the strain on her neck. Instantly they pulled in the slack.
"We've got her now," cried Lew. "Pull again!"
Once more they strained at the rope. It tightened about the neck of the
bear, shutting off her wind. She rose to her very tiptoes and the boys
pulled in a little more slack.
"We could choke her to death now," said Charley, "but we mustn't. How are
we going to get out of this?"
"Let's tie the rope fast and take our packs some distance away. She won't
strangle for a while. Then we can come back and free her. I think she
will not attack us, for she is too much afraid of the dog. We'll keep him
on a leash and beat it the minute we get the rope."
"But how are we going to get the rope?" demanded Charley.
"Gee! You've got me. Maybe we'll think of something while we're carrying
the packs away."
The two boys got their packs and hurried along their route for some
hundreds of yards. Then they laid their packs down and ran back. But
Charley carried his rifle on the return trip.
The bear was still pawing at the rope when they got back. The hair on her
neck was worn off by her violent struggles, and the skin was bleeding
freely.
"That bear will wear a collar on her neck for life," said Charley. "If we
ever see her again, we'll know her."
An idea came to him. "I've got it," he said. "I'll cut that rope with a
bullet. You stand ready with the dog, and I'll be ready for a second shot,
if necessary. We're not going to take a chance of being badly hurt, law or
no law."
Lew untied the dog from the tree and held the leash with his left hand.
Charley handed him the axe, and Lew stepped a little aside where he could
use it, if necessary. But it was one thing to talk about cutting the rope
with a bullet and another thing to do it, for the bear kept the rope in
motion continually. Charley leveled his weapon and tried to get a bead on
the rope. It seemed to him that the bear would never stand still. But the
beast had nearly reached the limit of endurance. Her tongue was protruding
from her mouth, her eyes seemed ready to pop from her head. She was
gasping pitifully. Her own struggles were slowly strangling her. Suddenly
she stopped fighting and hung limp. The rope stretched like a rod.
Instantly Charley's rifle cracked. The line was severed as though some one
had cut it with a sword. It flew upward into the tree and the bear dropped
to the ground. The noose about her neck came loose and she breathed
freely.
"Quick!" cried Lew. "She'll be on her feet in a second."
Charley untied the rope from the tree, drew the severed end to earth, and
gathering up rope and rifle, fled toward his pack, with Lew at his heels,
dragging the frantic dog by main force, for the animal was wild to charge
the fallen bear.
As they ran, they glanced back over their shoulders. At first the bear did
not move. Then she stirred uneasily and a second later, rose to her feet
and ran madly away. The boys stopped running.
"I guess both parties had a lesson," said Lew.