Part 22 (1/2)

”Yes,” said Kit. ”Raed, you and Guard stay here and watch him. Wash and I will go for the powder.”

We started off, and, on getting back to the beach, found Wade, with Weymouth and Donovan, standing near the boat.

”Where's your bear?” Kit demanded.

”You say,” laughed Weymouth, ”you were one of the two that shot at him.”

”He showed too much speed for us,” said Donovan.

”But where's your _new species_?” Wade inquired.

”Oh! he's all right,--up here in a hole.”

”That so? Here's what he was eating when the bear drove him away,”

pointing down among the rocks, where a lot of large bones lay partly in the water.

”What kind of an animal was that?” Kit asked.

”A finback, I think,” replied Weymouth. ”Died or got killed among the ice, and the waves washed the carca.s.s up here. Been dead a good while.”

”I should say so, by the smell. Putrid, isn't it? Why, that beast must have had a strong stomach!”

Weymouth and Donovan went off to the schooner after the powder in our places, and came back in about twenty minutes. Palmleaf was with them.

”You haven't come on another bear-hunt, I hope!” cried Wade.

”No, sar. Don't tink much of dem bars, sar. Got a voice jest like ole ma.s.sa down Souf. 'Spression very much like his when he used ter take at us cullered folks with his bowie-knife.”

”Pity he hadn't overtaken you with it!” Wade exclaimed, to hector him.

”He would have saved the hangman a job--not far distant.”

”Dere's a difference ob 'pinions as to where de noose ought ter come,”

muttered the affronted darky. ”Some tinks it's in one place, some in anoder.”

Securing the boat by the painter to a rock, we went up over the ledges to where Raed was doing sentinel duty before the fissure.

”Has he made any demonstrations?” Kit asked.

”Growls a little occasionally,” said Raed. ”I've been looking at the cracks under this top rock. This on the right is the one to mine, I think. I've cleared it out: it's all ready for the powder. What have you got for a slow match?”

Donovan had brought a bit of rope, which he picked to pieces, while Kit and Raed sifted in the powder. The _tow_ was then laid in a long trail, running back some two feet from the crack.

”Now be ready to shoot when the blast goes off,” advised Raed. ”He may jump out and run. Palmleaf, you keep Guard back.”

The rest of us took our stand off thirty or forty yards, and, c.o.c.king our guns, stood ready to shoot. Raed then lighted a match, touched the tow, and retired with alacrity. It flamed up, and ran along the train; then suddenly went nearly out, but blazed again, and crept slowly up to the powder; when _whank!_ and the rock hopped out from between the others, and rolled spitefully along the ground. We stood with our guns to our shoulders, and our fingers on the triggers. But the beast didn't show himself.

”Possibly it killed him,” said Kit.

Raed picked up some rough pebbles, and pitched one over between the rocks. Instantly there was a scramble, and our black-furred friend leaped out and ran.

_Crack-k-k-k!_--a running fire. Guard rushed after him. The creature fell at the reports, but scrambled up as the dog charged upon him, and tried to defend himself. But the bullets had riddled him. In an instant, Guard had him by the throat: he was dead. There were five shot-holes in the carca.s.s: one of them, at least, must have been received when we fired at him from the boat.