SETTING A BAD EXAMPLE
Up to this moment Raoul, carried away by the excitement of the hunt,
had not stopped to consider what he should do if the bear happened to
show fight instead of running away, but now he found himself face to
face with the creature, which was evidently in no very good humour at
having been so rudely disturbed while feasting on the grapes.
Growling fiercely the bear charged at Raoul, who darted off, shouting:
"Quick, Outan, quick! Come, help me!"
By dodging in and out among the trees he could keep out of the bear's
clutches; but this complete change of programme was not at all what he
had counted upon, and it was with great relief that presently he saw
not only Outan, but several other Indians coming to his aid. Shouting
and swinging their clubs they attracted the animal's attention from
Raoul, who was fast losing his breath, and from being the pursuer the
bear now became the pursued.
He was wise enough to see that the odds were against him, and made off
at a shambling gallop which the hunters found it difficult to keep up
with. Their object being to drive the bear towards the village they
must needs keep him going in that direction, and this they found no
easy task. It would almost seem as if he suspected their purpose, so
hard did he try to go off at a tangent instead of straight ahead; and
more than once Raoul well-nigh despaired of their succeeding in their
object, and regretted that he had not brought his musket with him. But
the Indians were not to be fooled. The bear was too fine a specimen to
lose, and they spared neither their lungs nor their muscles as they
kept up the pursuit with unflagging zeal. It certainly was a curious
way of hunting bears, and if Bruin had only known how powerless his
persecutors really were, he would, no doubt, have freed himself from
them in short order. He was too badly frightened, however, to perceive
the truth, and did his best to keep out of range of the menacing
cudgels, while all the time the village drew nearer, where his fate
awaited him.
Raoul would have liked very much to reach the village ahead of the
bear, but although he ran his very best, he was left well in the rear,
and when he came up the big black creature had already been dispatched.
"You poor fellow!" said Raoul as he passed his hand over the rich,
glossy black fur, a qualm of pity succeeding the lust of the chase now
that the excitement was over. "You did your best to get away from us,
but we were too many for you. It was not just a fair fight, was it?"
Several other bears had been secured, and when the hunt was over, and
the Indians had all gathered again, some strange ceremonies took place.
Into the mouths of the slain bears smoke from an Indian pipe was blown
by the hunters, and at the same time each lifeless creature was begged
not to hold any hard feelings because of what they had suffered. Then
the bears' heads, painted and decorated, were set on high, and the
savages sang the praise of the Acadian king of beasts, after which the
well-cooked bodies were divided amongst the hungry people, who feasted
upon them greedily. Madame and Raoul had their share of bear-steak,
and then the former took advantage of the quiet which followed the
feast, to talk to these heathens about the Great Spirit whom she was so
anxious they should learn to love. She was listened to with great
attention by the Indians, because she had won their hearts, not only by
her lovely character, but also by her many generous deeds and gifts.
But they were, for the most part, slow learners of the new and better
way. The grizzled old chief, to whom Madame with infinite patience was
teaching the Lord's Prayer, made a quaint objection.
"If I ask for nothing but bread," said he, "I shall have no more moose
nor sweet cakes," referring to some toothsome cake that Madame had
herself baked as a present for him.
After Madame had spoken, the young folks fell to sky-larking, while the
elders smoked their pipes, and Outan, who was fond of teasing, raised a
big laugh at Raoul's expense by telling how the bear had dropped from
the tree and put him to flight, and he mimicked Raoul dodging around
the tree-trunk. This angered Raoul, and when his orders to Outan to
"shut up" passed unnoticed, he rushed at him and struck him in the face.
Now, although Outan looked upon both Madame de la Tour and Raoul as
superior beings, and would have endured a great deal at their hands
rather than displease them, still he had his own share of temper and
pride, and this sudden blow from Raoul, given in the presence of his
companions, filled him with fury. He struck back with all his might,
and the next instant the two boys were rolling upon the ground in a mad
grapple. At once they were surrounded by an eager circle of
spectators, who keenly relished what promised to be a lively fight, and
with excited cries urged on the youthful combatants.
So close were Raoul and Outan locked in each other's arms that they
could not use their fists, and the struggle was therefore in reality
not more than a wrestling-match.
But the more they strove the fiercer burned their rage, and the moment
that one or the other did succeed in getting a hand free, cruel use
would certainly be made of it.
While this was taking place Madame had been talking with some of the
women, little imagining how Raoul was engaged, and she might have
continued in her ignorance had not Outan's little sister run up to
them, sobbing out something which her mother at once understood, and
darted off with an exclamation of alarm.
This attracted Madame's attention, and more out of concern lest some
accident should have happened than from curiosity, she followed the
Indian woman. When they reached the crowd that surrounded the
fighters, so densely packed was it that at first they could not get
within sight of what was going on. But presently some of the men made
space for Madame in rather a shamefaced way, until she was quite close
to the struggling boys.
For a moment she thought it was only an innocent trial of strength, but
a second look at their inflamed faces and furious eyes told her the
truth, and in a horror-stricken voice she called out:
"Raoul! Raoul! what's the meaning of this? Stop it at once. I
command you."
But Raoul was in too wild a fury to hear or heed, and, realizing this,
Madame, the grace of whose form concealed an unusual degree of strength
in a woman, laid hold of the boys and tore them apart.