[Illustration]
Just then the leader sounded a sharp warning upon which the rams
vanished. Turgen looked to see what had frightened them, but could
discover nothing amiss. He listened, and heard a noise as of sifting
sand and gravel. Someone must be there. But who? Then his attentive
eyes caught sight of a bear stealthily creeping toward the clearing. He
was enormous.
By nature a bear was clumsy and sluggish, no match in speed for the
light-footed rams, but he had his own sure method of hunting. He would
search out the path by which the rams traveled to get food and water,
and there he would lie in wait for them behind one of the cliffs. He
would wait for hours, patiently. Providing the wind was in his favor,
his scent did not betray him and the rams would come unsuspectingly
within reach. Then a pounce, a single blow of his enormous paw, and the
nearest ram would be killed.
Turgen knew all this, knew also that the bear before him was an
experienced hunter. Lacking a gun, he was powerless to give the rams
any help. He thought of shouting, remembering that a bear is afraid of
the human voice, but this might frighten the rams even more and decide
them to seek another place of refuge. What then was he to do?
Rocks! He would throw rocks at the bear.
Taking quick aim, he fired a stone which lit near the bear’s feet. The
animal stopped, turned his head to sniff the air from all directions.
When his eyes fixed upon Turgen above him, he let out a roar of fright
that echoed from cliff to cliff and threw himself down the hillside.
The clatter was terrific as he rolled over brush and outthrustings of
rocks, crashing and bouncing and setting in motion a series of small
landslides.
Attracted by the racket the old ram reappeared farther up the mountain
and stood watching his enemy’s progress with an expression of
contentment.
Satisfied that the rams were safe, Turgen started home conscious that
the leader was following him with his eyes. A dreadful thought assailed
him: What if the rams associated him with the bear? What if their old
suspicion of man were aroused and they left this region for another?