IV

It occurred to me that I might now be in a really dangerous place. For

it is one thing surprising a Bear that has no family responsibilities,

and another stirring up a bad-tempered old mother by frightening her

cub.

{Illustration}

"Supposing," I thought, "that cranky Little Johnny should wander over to

this end of the garbage and find me in the hole; he will at once set up

a squall, and his mother, of course, will think I am hurting him, and,

without giving me a chance to explain, may forget the rules of the Park

and make things very unpleasant."

Luckily, all the jam-pots were at Johnny's end; he stayed by them, and

Grumpy stayed by him. At length he noticed that his mother had a better

tin than any he could find, and as he ran whining to take it from her he

chanced to glance away up the slope. There he saw something that made

him sit up and utter a curious little _Koff Koff Koff Koff._

His mother turned quickly, and sat up to see "what the child was looking

at." I followed their gaze, and there, oh, horrors! was an enormous

Grizzly Bear. He was a monster; he looked like a fur-clad omnibus coming

through the trees.

Johnny set up a whine at once and got behind his mother. She uttered a

deep growl, and all her back hair stood on end. Mine did too, but I kept

as still as possible.

With stately tread the Grizzly came on. His vast shoulders sliding

along his sides, and his silvery robe swaying at each tread, like

the trappings on an elephant, gave an impression of power that was

appalling.

{Illustration}

Johnny began to whine more loudly, and I fully sympathized with him now,

though I did not join in. After a moment's hesitation Grumpy turned to

her noisy cub and said something that sounded to me like two or three

short coughs--_Koff Koff Koff_. But I imagine that she really said: "My

child, I think you had better get up that tree, while I go and drive the

brute away."

{Illustration}

At any rate, that was what Johnny did, and this what she set out to do.

But Johnny had no notion of missing any fun. He wanted to _see_ what was

going to happen. So he did not rest contented where he was hidden in the

thick branches of the pine, but combined safety with view by climbing to

the topmost branch that would bear him, and there, sharp against the

sky, he squirmed about and squealed aloud in his excitement. The branch

was so small that it bent under his weight, swaying this way and that as

he shifted about, and every moment I expected to see it snap off. If it

had been broken when swaying my way, Johnny would certainly have fallen

on me, and this would probably have resulted in bad feelings between

myself and his mother; but the limb was tougher than it looked, or

perhaps Johnny had had plenty of experience, for he neither lost his

hold nor broke the branch.

Meanwhile, Grumpy stalked out to meet the Grizzly. She stood as high as

she could and set all her bristles on end; then, growling and chopping

her teeth, she faced him.

The Grizzly, so far as I could see, took no notice of her. He came

striding toward the feast although alone. But when Grumpy got within

twelve feet of him she uttered a succession of short, coughy roars,

and, charging, gave him a tremendous blow on the ear. The Grizzly was

surprised; but he replied with a left-hander that knocked her over like

a sack of hay.

Nothing daunted, but doubly furious, she jumped up and rushed at him.

Then they clinched and rolled over and over, whacking and pounding,

snorting and growling, and making no end of dust and rumpus. But above

all then: noise I could clearly hear Little Johnny, yelling at the top

of his voice, and evidently encouraging his mother to go right in and

finish the Grizzly at once.

Why the Grizzly did not break her in two I could not understand. After a

few minutes' struggle, during which I could see nothing but dust and

dim flying legs, the two separated as by mutual consent--perhaps the

regulation time was up--and for a while they stood glaring at each

other, Grumpy at least much winded.

The Grizzly would have dropped the matter right there. He did not wish

to fight. He had no idea of troubling himself about Johnny. All he

wanted was a quiet meal. But no! The moment he took one step toward the

garbage-pile, that is, as Grumpy thought, toward Johnny, she went at him

again. But this time the Grizzly was ready for her. With one blow he

knocked her off her feet and sent her crashing on to a huge upturned

pine-root. She was fairly staggered this time. The force of the blow,

and the rude reception of the rooty antlers, seemed to take all the

fight out of her. She scrambled over and tried to escape. But the

Grizzly was mad now. He meant to punish her, and dashed around the root.

For a minute they kept up a dodging chase about it; but Grumpy was

quicker of foot, and somehow always managed to keep the root between

herself and her foe, while Johnny, safe in the tree, continued to take

an intense and uproarious interest.

{Illustration} At length, seeing he could not catch her that way, the

Grizzly sat up on his haunches; and while he doubtless was planning a

new move, old Grumpy saw her chance, and making a dash, got away from

the root and up to the top of the tree where Johnny was perched.

{Illustration}

Johnny came down a little way to meet her, or perhaps so that the tree

might not break off with the additional weight. Having photographed this

interesting group from my hiding-place, I thought I must get a closer

picture at any price, and for the first time in the day's proceedings I

jumped out of the hole and ran under the tree. This move proved a great

mistake, for here the thick lower boughs came between, and I could see

nothing at all of the Bears at the top.

I was close to the trunk, and was peering about and seeking for a chance

to use the camera, when old Grumpy began to come down, chopping her

teeth and uttering her threatening cough at me. While I stood in doubt I

heard a voice far behind me calling: "Say, Mister! You better look out;

that ole B'ar is liable to hurt you."

I turned to see the cow-boy of the Hotel on his Horse. He had been

riding after the cattle, and chanced to pass near just as events were

moving quickly.

"Do you know these Bears?" said I, as he rode up.

"Wall, I reckon I do," said he. "That there little one up top is Johnny;

he's a little crank. An' the big un is Grumpy; she's a big crank. She's

mighty onreliable gen'relly, but she's always strictly ugly when Johnny

hollers like that."

"I should much like to get her picture when she comes down," said I.

"Tell ye what I'll do: I'll stay by on the pony, an' if she goes to

bother you I reckon I can keep her off," said the man.

{Illustration}

He accordingly stood by as Grumpy slowly came down from branch to

branch, growling and threatening. But when she neared the ground she

kept on the far side of the trunk, and finally slipped down and ran into

the woods, without the slightest pretence of carrying out any of her

dreadful threats. Thus Johnny was again left alone. He climbed up to his

old perch and resumed his monotonous whining: _Wah! Wah! Wal!_! ("Oh,

dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!")

I got the camera ready, and was arranging deliberately to take his

picture in his favourite and peculiar attitude for threnodic song, when

all at once he began craning his neck and yelling, as he had done during

the fight.

I looked where his nose pointed, and here was the Grizzly coming on

straight toward me--not charging, but striding along, as though he meant

to come the whole distance.