Part 21 (1/2)
”Well, we'll wait awhile,” said Uncle dick, ”and see what'll happen”
”Just look at thelasses now
”They're playing like children, those little black bears”
They could see that these two s else They would lie down sos, or sit up in all kinds of aard attitudes and scratch themselves, first with one foot and then another Soallop ai, would run full tilt into each other and, standing up on their hind legs, would box like men At this sport one bear seemed to be the better, and sometimes would land so hard a cuff on his co down the hill, in which case the aggrieved one, recovering hionist and resurizzlies, stately and dignified, paid no attention to these antics, but went on with their own e for breakfast So out over the country, then leisurely go back to their digging If they saw the black bears they did not pay any attention to them
At last the two little bears becaher up the slide Then the nearest grizzly, his mane erect on his shoulders, and head down, made a sort of short run at theh he held thealloped off luly into the forest, and were seen no runt, arose and reached for his rifle He made a quick motion with his arm for the others to follow, and set out in the direction which would put hiame In order to reach the proper side of the slide they had to walk in full view in the open valley, directly below the two bears, but Leo seemed to be not in the least uneasy about this
”Grizzluood,” said he ”He can't look half-ood”
When they reached the edge of the timber and made ready for the clily to Uncle dick and patted his rifle on the stock ”S'pose two bear, grizzluht, Leo,” said Uncle dick; ”you're in on this hunt with the rest of us We'll all load our rifles here Now, John, you go on with Leo, and take the grizzly highest up He's est; I don't know Jesse and I will stop opposite the bear which is lowest down and wait till you get in reach of yours When you do, open up, and we'll shoot as soon as we see ours The slide is narrow up there, and they'll be under cover in forty yards There are two robes too good to lose, and we'll all just take a hand in stopping them”
”I'd like to kill one all by h it must be admitted he was just a trifle pale
”Maybe you will,” said his uncle ”But any hunter has to take a bear just as he finds his chance It's always best for two ood a hunter either ood a chance as Rob had on his bear You leave that to Leo and ive your boy the first shot at the bear if it's a possible thing to do it I'll do the saan now their steady clie of the forest, and sometimes on the face of the slide itself They were surprised to see that what had appeared to be a flat green slope was really a very steep one, and covered in soher than their heads, with tall, rank shrubs and early vegetation of rizzly-hunter as could have been found in all the west, was allowed to lead the way, and he took good care never to get within sight of the game or to allow the wind to blow from him toward the bears He cli up with hi a swift detour in the forest, he paused and raised a hand
They could hear now the whining, gru about his poor luck with the gophers, now and then a grunt of anger or disgust as he tugged at soher up the hillside Leo pointed that way and caught John by the arht toward the slide in their position
Without hesitation John dropped in behind his guide; and Jesse, whether or not he felt any trace of fear, in turn followed his own leader Thus for the moment the two parties were separated
In a few e of their cover The Indian caught the boy roughly by the arun They were in the edge of a little poplar thicket which jutted out from the pine forest upon the slide Leo would have preferred to get above his bear, as all good hunters do, but saw that the cover above would not be so good Now, as John stepped to the edge of the thicket he saw the great grizzly directly above him, not thirty yards away up the slope
At the sa down at the no motion either offensive or defensive John reached one hand back to quiet Leo, who had given hi in the back Then quickly he raised his rifle and fired It was ier, and his shot was so close to John's that they sounded alh John really was first to hit the bear
The h for any one of any sort of steadiness, for the bear stood with his broad breast full toward theed deep into the great body, while Leo's landed on one shoulder It is possible neither shot would have knocked the bear down, but any bear, when hit, will drop This one, with an angry roar which could have been heard half aand clawing, biting at itself, and struggling to catch its footing John fired again, and to his shame be it said that this time his bullet ild At his side, however, Leo, brave as a soldier, stood fir the lever of his own rifle John recovered presently and joined in In a few seconds, although it seeer hunter, their double fire had accounted for the grizzly, which rolled over and expired very close to theht in its descent by two or three trees
Meantih John declared he never had heard it--there came from below the roar of the rifles of Jesse and Uncle dick The second bear, perhaps , had left the open space and taken shelter in a little clureen bushes close to the point where the two hunters approached the slide When the sound of firing began above, this bear, e wildly this way and that inside the clump of bushes At last it broke cover al in front
”Shoot!” called Uncle dick, in quick command; and Jesse fired, alray h directly over him Almost at the same instant Uncle dick fired also and then, like their companions above, they both fired rapidly as they could until their bear also at last lay quiet, but dangerously close at hand
Uncle dick pushed back his hat and wiped his forehead, looking at Jesse half quizzically ”Son,” said he, ”it's lucky we both were here
That bear was either badly scared or good and angry Itwe stopped it e did”
Jesse put his rifle to the ground and stood tre all over ”Well, Uncle dick,” said he, ”I don't knohether or not the bear was scared, but I know _I_ aht now”
”It's just as well to be honest,” said his uncle, putting a hand kindly on his shoulder ”Any ht to be anxious in as close a corner as this”
They heard the loud hallo of John now, a little way above the broadly
”Kill 'uood hunt, eh?” He looked at the little heap of erizzluht,” said he ”Bad bear Heap shoot 'ulad we're no worse off,” said Uncle dick, when in turn they had passed frorizzlies to the other
”And, speaking of luck, you boys certainly have had it in every way