As the day was now advancing, and they had already had so much sport,
they decided not to try and reach the Old Fort on Lake Winnipeg, where
the Nelson River begins, that evening. So they paddled their canoes to
the ashore and there formed a camp. While the older members of the
party remained at the fire, some of the younger and more eager ones took
their guns and went off to see what they could shoot.
Frank succeeded in bringing down a great pelican that, with some others,
had been gorging itself with gold-eyes, a beautiful kind of fish,
similar in appearance to large herring, but with eyes so bright and
golden that the appropriateness of the name is at once evident to all
the first time they see it. Frank carried to the camp his great bird,
but was disappointed when told that as an article of food it was about
worthless. One of the Indians, however, pleased him when he said that a
very beautiful ornamental bag could be made of the great sac that hung
down from its enormous bill.
Alec was more successful, and returned soon after Frank with a number of
fine ducks, which he carried hanging around him with their heads crowded
under his belt in real Indian fashion.
The different Indians, who had also gone off hunting, returned one after
another, and so when supper was ready at the camp fire about sunset all
were returned but Sam.
Where was he? Who had seen him last?
These were the questions put, but no one seemed able to give any
satisfactory answer.
As it was supposed he would return any minute, the supper, which
consisted principally of the fish they had caught and game shot, was
eaten and much enjoyed.
Still no signs of Sam. Mr Ross began to feel uneasy, and now, as the
shadows of the coming night were beginning to fall around them, he
called Mustagan and some of the older Indians to him, and asked what had
better be done. Promptly they responded that he must be found ere the
last glimmering light faded away and the auroras began to dance and play
in the northern sky.
"Let us at once get on his trail," said an old Indian, "and we will soon
find him."
So the question was again anxiously asked who had last seen him.
But there was little need for an answer, as Sam, pale, excited, and
panting for breath, suddenly dashed into their midst.
"What is the matter?" said Mr Ross, while all the rest, with intense
interest, waited for his answer.
All poor Sam could say was, "The bear! the bear!" as he lay panting on
the ground.
Mustagan, quick to read signs, was the first to see what had happened,
and so, hastily catching up his gun, and crowding down the barrel a
bullet on the top of the buckshot, with which it was already loaded, he
slipped out from the circle of light around the camp fire, in the
direction from which Sam had come.
Not five minutes was he gone ere the report of his gun rang out. With
all the imperturbable nature of an Indian he returned, and when within
easy calling distance of the camp fire he asked for a couple of Indians
to join him. Quickly they glided away in the darkness. It was not for
a long time, however, that they were required. Soon their voices were
heard asking that additional wood might be thrown upon the fire in order
that they might have a better light. Why they needed it was soon
evident, as they shortly afterward appeared dragging into the camp a
splendid bear, the sight of which at first made Sam jump again, as
though he would continue the journey he had so abruptly ended when he
had dashed into their midst.
When Sam had quieted down he told the story of his exciting adventure.
Like the others, he had taken his gun and gone off to see what he could
shoot. As at first he did not meet with much success he pushed on and
on until he reached a long stretch of sandy beach, on which he detected
the fresh footprints of a bear. Putting a bullet into his gun, he
bravely started off to get that bear. On and on he hurried, reckless
and excited, until at length he saw the fine fellow, not two hundred
yards away, sitting on a flat rock a little way out from the shore,
busily engaged in capturing fish.
Without any fear Sam pushed on until he was, as he thought, near enough
to kill the bear that was sitting on his haunches with his back toward
him, utterly unconscious of his presence.
Raising his gun he fired. That he hit him he was sure, as he said he
saw the fur fly from a spot on his back. The instant the bear felt the
wound he gave a roar of pain, and, turning around, without a moment's
hesitation dashed into the water and came for Sam.
"All at once," said Sam in a most comical manner, "as I saw what a big
fellow he was and his resolve to try and cultivate a closer
acquaintanceship, I thought I had had hunting enough, and would like to
go home and see my mother. But, as this was impossible, I decided that
the next best thing was to get back to the camp as soon as I could. So
I dropped my gun and started at a great rate. However it did not take
the bear long to get across that bit of water, and then on he came.
"My! but he did run, and quickly did he gain upon me. Then I dropped my
brightly coloured beaded Indian cap, hoping that that would delay him.
"But he only seemed to give it a sniff and a tear, and then on he came.
Finding he was still gaining on me, I pulled off my leather coat and
dropped it on the trail and hurried on. Glancing behind me, I noticed
that that seemed to make him suspicious for a time, as he carefully
examined it. This delay was fortunate for me, but soon, to my alarm, I
found he was once more coming on after me.
"It was now getting dark, but fortunately I knew the way, and so dashed
in upon you in the manner I did, just about used up."
The recital of Sam's adventure and narrow escape very much excited Frank
and Alec, and Mr Ross looked grave and anxious, and seemed to be
thinking of what would have been felt and said in the home land if,
during the first few weeks after the boys had arrived in the Wild North
Land, one of them had been killed by a bear.
The Indians smoked their pipes and listened in silence to Sam's story,
which was translated for those who did not understand English. It was
evident by their clouded faces that they were not pleased. Their
actions said, even before they uttered a word:
"The young white brave should not have run away from a bear. Suppose
that the bear had not been killed, and after chasing the white hunter
into the protection of the camp fire had escaped and gone and told the
other bears of his success, what a rejoicing there would have been among
the other bears! And how bold and saucy all the bears would have been
ever after!"
Thus the Indians thought, for they have queer ideas about bears.
Because of the handlike appearance of the paws of the bear they say
there is a good deal of the human in them. So they talk about them as
holding councils and taking advice one from another. And when they
attack them, especially the Indians of these great Algonquin tribes,
they always address them as Mr Bear, and apologise to them for being
under the necessity of killing them.
Thus these Indians at this camp fire were simply disgusted with Sam for
running away from that black bear.
So after a good smoke and much cogitation one of them, who was a paddler
in Sam's canoe, turned to him and said:
"You have a good knife?"
"Yes," said Sam, and he drew the keen, sharp, double-edged weapon from
its sheath in his leather belt, and handed it to him to examine.
The Indian took it, and, after carefully examining it, passed it on to
the other Indians, who all admired it. But it was noticed that in their
low utterances among themselves there was much of sarcasm, and even
contempt, in some of their expressions.
After some more smoking another Indian turned to Sam, and said:
"No tree along the trail where the bear chase you?"
"O yes," said Sam, "plenty of them. But I was afraid to take time
enough to try and climb up into one of them."
This answer, which Sam gave in all honesty, was too much for the
Indians, and the look of disgust that passed over their faces was a
study. However, the one who had asked the question about the tree spoke
up and said:
"No good climbing a tree. Bear better climber than any hunter. Tree
only good for you to fight bear at the bottom. Put back against tree.
Black bear rise up and come to hug you to death. He then never bite or
tear. Only hug. He try to squeeze the life out of you. So with good
knife, and your back against a tree, keep cool. Let bear come, and when
he stand up on his hind legs and try to hug, you just give him your good
knife straight in the heart. Bear fall over dead. You not hurt at all.
All needed, keep cool all the time. No brave white boy with good knife
and plenty trees must ever run away from black bear any more."
Thus he went on in his broken English to Sam's mortification, and he
found that in using his good legs, that had often carried him in first
in many a race at school, he had gone down very much in the estimation
of the Indians, who think it is simply foolishness, as well as
cowardice, if armed with anything like a decent knife, to refuse to give
battle to a bear from the trunk of the nearest tree. Thus the boys were
getting points and learning lessons by experience in reference to
hunting.
Mr Ross did not chide the lad, but thought that it would have been
better if, when he discovered the fresh track of the bear, he had
immediately returned to the camp for assistance. The fact is, Mr Ross
was very thankful that nothing worse had happened.
Frank and Alec listened with intense interest to Sam's account of his
race back to the camp with the bear at his heels, and both declared that
they would have done likewise. Later on we will find that they were
able to successfully adopt the Indian methods, much to their delight.