Part 27 (1/2)

His pulses thrilled, while Joe, who had taken up a position alongside him after the adventure with the panther, put out a hand and nudged Jerry several times.

”Bear!” he said, in the lowest of whispers.

Again and again came the grunting and the swis.h.i.+ng of bushes. Bruin was sniffing the delightful aroma of honey. It was so strong that his usual caution was apparently thrown to the winds, and he pushed forward straight toward the spot where the broken tree hive had scattered much of its delicious contents over the ground.

Now Jerry could see his bulky figure as he shuffled forward with eager mien. The repeating rifle began to come up, though Jerry was in no hurry to fire. He wanted to get a fair view of the animal's side, so that he could bring Bruin down with a single shot.

They could hear the beast grunting in delight as he started in to devour some of the bees' rich treasure. Perhaps he had long cast an envious eye on that same tree hive, and hoped for the time to come when a storm might lay it low.

Frank held his fire generously. He could have shot the bear several times, and with the buckshot sh.e.l.ls that were in his gun had no fear about killing his game with ease; but it was really Jerry's turn.

Finally came the sharp report. They saw the bear roll over, try to stagger up again, struggle vehemently, and then gradually grow weaker.

”Hurrah, Jerry! He's your bag!” shouted Frank, as genuinely happy as though it had been his own shot that did the business; perhaps more so.

”Oh! what a night! Bring on your bears and panthers, your crocodiles and tomcats!” cried Jerry. ”We can take care of a whole menagerie. Talk to me about your hunting preserves! Did you ever meet up with anything that equals this?”

Realizing that the boys on board the motorboat must be consumed with eagerness to know what the result of these two shots might be, Frank now proposed that they go aboard.

”We want some sleep, you see. In the morning we'll be able to attend to these fellows. I guess nothing will bother them until then,” he said.

He and Joe entered the little dinghy, and it was ferried across the water to the anch.o.r.ed boat. There they were met by both Will and Bluff, who, being aroused by the first shot, had sat there, swathed in blankets, watching for the return of the mighty Nimrods.

”What luck?” called Bluff, evidently repenting that he had not accompanied them.

”Oh, Jerry got his bear, all right,” sang out Frank indifferently, while he kept on pus.h.i.+ng the smaller boat closer to the other.

”But didn't you shoot? Will declared it was your shotgun that awoke us first--it must have been hours ago,” went on Bluff curiously.

”Why, yes. I had a shot at a gray visitor who threatened to jump down on me from the tree.” And Frank began climbing aboard so that Joe could go back after the other chum.

”What! Do you mean a panther?” burst out Bluff.

”Sure! Wait till you see the chap, in the morning. Looks like a dandy,”

replied Frank, trying to appear unconcerned.

”Then you got him?”

”It was a case of getting him before he got me.” And then, taking pity on the boys, who were fairly burning with eagerness to hear, he told how he had happened to discover the crouching beast that had crept into the tree without their knowledge.

Presently Jerry came aboard. Both of the hunters, as well as young Joe, were too sleepy for further conversation.

”You'll see it all in the morning. And Will, we can hang up the game so that you'll have a fine shot at the scene, bee tree and all. Every time we look at it our mouths will water at the thought of all that fine honey going to waste,” and with this parting remark Frank crawled under his blanket.

Nothing happened to disturb the outdoor chums during the balance of the night. With the coming of morning they were astir. Breakfast was a hurried meal. Then they went ash.o.r.e in detachments, Joe remaining behind to look after the boat.

Will managed to get a good picture of the trophies, with the two gallant hunters standing beside the defunct bear and panther. Then, after the former had been washed, being sticky with the honey, Frank a.s.sisted Jerry to get the skin off. It was here the boys profited by the advice given by the old trapper, Jesse Wilc.o.x, when they visited him in his camp above Rocky Creek, which was a feeder to the lake upon which their home town was located.