A RUNNING FIGHT.
It was one of Dick’s sayings that bear-hunting was a “business by
itself”--as much so as book-keeping or steamboating; and Frank and
Archie had been in California long enough to learn that the trapper
told the truth in this, as in other matters. It was a favorite pastime
with the settlers in that section of the country, and the cousins had
seen as many as thirty men take part in a single hunt. They were
generally divided into two parties: some went in the drive--that is,
they followed the hounds, and if the bear was brought to bay by them,
they signaled to their companions with their hunting horns. The others
were scattered about among the mountains, watching the “runaways,” and
holding themselves in readiness to shoot the bear if he attempted to
pass by them. This was the part our four boys always took in a
bear-hunt, and they had engaged in so many during the last few weeks,
that they began to consider themselves experts in the business. They
had never killed a grizzly, but they could boast of having had an
exciting fight with one. How it would have ended it is hard to tell.
The boys were getting the worst of it (by that we mean that the bear
was charging upon them, and they were running for dear life toward the
place where they had left their horses), when Mr. Harris, who happened
to be near at hand, came up and put an end to the fight by shooting
the bear through the head. The boys afterward had reason to wish that
he had stayed away a few minutes longer; for all the hunters in the
settlement laughed at them, and Mr. Harris created a great deal of
amusement by showing how Johnny looked when he was running through the
bushes, with his coat-tails sticking straight out behind him. They
defended themselves against the charge of cowardice with a good deal
of spirit, and did not, by any means, acknowledge themselves whipped.
They affirmed that it was their intention to draw the bear into open
ground, and continue the fight on horseback; but the old hunters
refused to believe this story, and the boys solemnly avowed that, if
they ever got a fair chance, they would show them that they could kill
a bear as well as any body. Now they had an opportunity to try their
skill on Old Davy, and this was the time to make good their boasts.
The result of this day’s work would be a fair test of their abilities
as bear-hunters. There were no dogs to worry the grizzly, and no
experienced men, with quick eyes and steady hands, to ride up and
rescue them if they came to close quarters with their enemy. They had
no one to depend upon but themselves; and, if they killed the bear,
the glory would be all their own.
“I am going to have one more shot at that fellow before I leave him,”
said Archie, with as much apparent indifference as though he was
speaking of shooting at a squirrel. “He’ll never rob any more cow-pens
when I am done with him.”
The boys were all wonderfully brave and reckless now that they
imagined themselves safe from the claws of the grizzly: but when they
reached the bottom of the ravine, and found that their situation there
was not much better than it had been on the mountain-side, their
courage all left them again, and they had nothing more to say about
shooting Old Davy. They were really in more danger now than they had
been before, for they had but one way to run. On two sides of them
were precipitous cliffs, which could not be scaled on horseback;
behind them was the grizzly; and in front an almost impenetrable wall
of bushes shut them off from the prairie beyond. They took this all in
at a glance, and, knowing that there was but one way of escape open to
them, they urged their horses forward at increased speed, and dashed
pell-mell into the bushes, where, a moment afterward, they found
themselves brought to a dead halt. Their horses, snorting with terror,
exerted themselves to the utmost, but without making any perceptible
headway, and but a short distance behind them came the bear, lumbering
along as easily as though the bushes, which effectually checked their
progress, had been nothing more than so many straws in his way. It
was a critical moment, and more than one among the young hunters gave
himself up for lost. Beyond a doubt it would have been the last
bear-hunt for somebody, had it not been for the coolness and courage
of Frank Nelson. Seeing that the grizzly was gaining rapidly, and that
he would certainly overtake them before they could work their way out
of the bushes, he very deliberately slung his rifle over his shoulder,
and drew one of his revolvers. Reining in his plunging, frantic horse,
he faced about in his saddle, and took a deliberate aim at the bear’s
head.
“Shoot close, Frank,” said Johnny, whose horse seemed to be hopelessly
entangled in the bushes. “If you miss, somebody is done for.”
With almost breathless anxiety his companions awaited the result of
his shot; and when the smoke of the revolver had cleared away, and Old
Davy was seen struggling on the ground, the shout that went up from
four pairs of strong lungs was almost deafening.
“Hurrah for the champion rifle-shot!” yelled Dick. “He’s down!”
“But he’s up again!” exclaimed Frank, “Push ahead, fellows!”
During the delay occasioned by Frank’s lucky shot, short as it was,
the boys gained considerable ground; and before the grizzly was fairly
on his feet again, they had worked their way out of the bushes into
the bed of a creek which ran through the ravine. As the water was but
a few inches deep, it formed an excellent highway; and, with another
shout, the boys gave rein to their horses, which set off at a rapid
gallop, leaving Old Davy far in the rear. They were safe now, and
their courage rose again.
“Isn’t there any way to get the better of that fellow?” asked Archie.
“If we can induce him to follow us out on the prairie, I’ll ride home
after Dick Lewis. He’ll fix him.”
“Oh, he will follow us,” replied Johnny: “you need not be at all
uneasy about that. I guess you haven’t learned much about grizzlies
yet.”
Archie thought of the adventures he had had with these animals when he
and his friends were encamped at the Old Bear’s Hole, and told himself
that he had learned a good deal about them; perhaps quite as much as
his friend Johnny, who had lived among them all his life.
“I declare, he’s coming now,” continued the latter, looking over his
shoulder. “I don’t believe we have hurt him at all.”
The others were of the same opinion. Old Davy made headway
astonishingly for an animal that had five bullets in him, and during
the next ten minutes they did not gain on him more than a stone’s
throw. But that did not cause them any uneasiness. They knew that the
grizzly could not overtake them as long as the way was clear before
them, and as they dashed along they discussed the best means of
conquering their dreaded enemy. When they got him out on the prairie
should they stop and fight him, or go home after the trapper? They
knew that they would gain a good deal of honor, if they could exhibit
the grizzly’s skin as a trophy of their prowess, but they were so much
afraid of him that they did not want to permit him to come within
shooting distance of them again, if they could avoid it. They did not
have time, however, to come to any decision on these points, for they
suddenly discovered something that drove all their plans for Old
Davy’s destruction out of their minds, and turned their thoughts to a
matter of much more importance--their own safety. As they swept around
an abrupt bend in the creek, they found themselves brought to a
standstill by a huge tree which had fallen across the ravine. Against
the body of the tree was piled a mass of smaller logs and branches,
which had probably lodged there during high water, the whole forming
an obstruction at least seven feet in height. They could not go around
it, because of the cliffs on each side; and they dared not turn back,
for there was the grizzly close behind them. They were fairly
cornered.
The boys became appalled when they saw the danger of their situation,
and for a moment they sat in their saddles as motionless as if they
had been turned into stone. Then a glance over their shoulders showed
them that the grizzly still kept up the pursuit; and that once more
aroused them.
“What shall we do?” asked Archie, turning his pale face toward his
cousin, to whom he always looked for advice and assistance in times
of danger.
Frank’s answer was not given in words. When they first discovered the
obstruction in their path, they had stopped their horses, and during
the half a minute of inactivity that preceded Archie’s question, Frank
had taken a survey of the situation, and determined upon his course.
The others knew what it was when they saw him bend forward in his
saddle, and gather his reins firmly in his hand.
“You can’t do it!” Dick almost gasped. “It is too high.”
Before the words were fairly uttered, Frank’s horse was flying down
the ravine at the top of his speed. For a moment the gravel and water
flew about in all directions, then there was a crushing among the
branches which had lodged against the body of the tree, and Frank had
disappeared from view. His horse had jumped the log; and if the others
could be induced to follow, the young hunters were safe.
“I did it easily enough, didn’t I?” shouted Frank, waving his hat to
his companions. “Come on, fellows. It’s your only chance.”
As soon as he could stop his horse he turned to wait for the others.
Then for the first time he realized how high the obstruction was--what
a tremendous jump his horse must have made to carry him safely over
it--and he trembled when he saw his companions preparing to follow
him. As he sat in his saddle, he could just look over the log and
watch their movements. A very slight accident--a single instant’s
hesitation on the part of one of their horses--might result in a
terrible tragedy.
Johnny was the first to take the leap. In response to a light touch
from his spurs, his horse arose in the air and sailed over the log
like a bird. Two of them were safe, and their courage arose again
wonderfully: but now misfortunes befell them. Archie’s horse made an
awkward start, and striking his fore-feet against a branch of the
tree, fell rather than jumped over the obstruction, dashing his rider
with stunning violence to the ground. Dick’s horse came on gallantly
enough, but stopped when he reached the log, laid back his ears, and
stubbornly refused to move an inch in any direction. Johnny turned
white with terror, and the ramrod with which Frank was driving home a
ball in his rifle, trembled like a leaf in his grasp. There was Archie
lying stunned and bleeding where he had fallen, Dick on a balky horse,
which only kicked viciously when his rider touched him with his spurs,
and the bear close behind, and coming on as fiercely as ever.
Frank gazed in bewilderment and dismay at the scene before him, and
his first impulse was to put spurs to his horse and ride away, that he
might not see what would follow when the grizzly came up. But that
feeling was short-lived. He knew that neither Archie nor Dick would
have deserted him had he been in their situation, and if he could not
save them, he would, at least, have the satisfaction of knowing that
he had done what he could.
“Johnny,” he exclaimed, in a voice which to save his life he could
scarcely raise above a whisper, “can you take Archie in front of you?”
“Hand him up here,” was Johnny’s reply. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Dick,” continued Frank, “jump down from that horse, and mount
Archie’s.”
Dick was prompt to act upon the suggestion. He threw himself from his
horse, which he sincerely hoped would stand where he was until Old
Davy could get his claws upon him, tumbled over the log, and in a
moment more was safe in Archie’s saddle. Frank, in the mean time, had
raised his cousin from the ground, and placed him upon Johnny’s horse;
and by the time the grizzly came in sight, the boys were ready to
continue their flight.
“Ride for life, now, Johnny,” said Frank. “Remember that you have got
a double load, and don’t spare the whip.”
“Don’t be uneasy,” was the answer. “I’ve a splendid horse, and I won’t
be long”----
Another misfortune cut short Johnny’s words. If his horse was a
splendid animal, he was also a most vicious one, and he did not like
to carry double. No sooner did he feel Archie’s weight on his back,
than he set off at a furious pace, and suddenly throwing down his
head, sent both his heels high into the air. Johnny, being an
excellent horseman, and always on the watch for such eccentricities,
would have had no difficulty in retaining his seat, had not the
saddlegirth parted with a loud snap, throwing him and Archie headlong
to the ground.
“Did any body ever hear of such luck!” growled Johnny, who was on his
feet almost as soon as he touched the ground. “Come here, Dick; you’ll
have to take him now.”
He gave one parting glance at his horse, which was flying down the
ravine, and then raised his insensible companion in his arms, and ran
toward Dick, who galloped up to meet him. The former took the wounded
hunter upon his horse and continued his flight, while Johnny picked up
his gun, and drew a bee-line for the nearest tree.
While this was going on, Frank had finished loading his rifle, and
dismounted from his horse, and was now standing in front of the log,
awaiting the approach of the grizzly, and ready to carry out his
self-imposed task of covering the retreat of the others. In one hand
he held his bridle, and in the other his trusty weapon, which he
raised to his shoulder now and then, as he caught sight of the grizzly
through the branches of the tree. He knew that every thing depended
upon the result of this shot, and he was resolved that he would not
fire until a fair mark was presented. He tried to argue himself into
the belief that Old Davy was a squirrel, and that he could easily put
a ball into one of his eyes at a distance of fifty yards. He recalled
to mind some of the excellent shots he had made during the last few
days, and tried hard to keep up his courage by telling himself that it
was seldom indeed that he missed his mark. Still he did miss
sometimes, and what would be the result if he missed now? His life
would not be worth a moment’s purchase. He would not have time to
mount before the grizzly would be close upon him. But even if he did
succeed in making his escape, how far could Dick’s horse carry his
double load before he would be overtaken? Once more Frank raised his
rifle, and just at that moment Old Davy’s head and shoulders appeared
above the log, not more than ten feet distant. His mouth was open,
showing a frightful array of teeth, his ears were laid back close to
his head, his eyes seemed to shoot forth angry sparks of fire, and,
altogether, his appearance was enough to shake the strongest nerves.
But Frank’s were as firm as a rock. The trusty rifle was held as
steadily as though it were a part of him it had served so long and
faithfully; and just as the grizzly’s fore-feet touched the ground, a
sharp report rang through the ravine, and for an instant the smoke
concealed both hunter and bear from the view of Johnny, who, from his
perch in a neighboring tree, had watched all that was going on before
him with breathless anxiety. When the smoke cleared away he saw Frank
standing erect and unharmed, and Old Davy lying motionless where he
had fallen. Frank’s bullet had reached its mark.