ItdidnotseemtomethatIwaslost,yetlostIwas。Thepeakswerenotinsight。Thecanyonwideneddowntheslope,andIwasprettysurethatitopenedoutflatintothegreatpineforestofPenetier。Theonlythingthatbotheredmewasthelossofmymustangandoutfit;Icouldnotreconcilemyselftothat。SoIwanderedaboutwithastrange,fullsenseoffreedomsuchasIhadneverbeforeknown。WhatwastobetheendofmyadventureI
couldnotguess,andIwastednotimeworryingoverit。
TheknowledgeIhadofforestryItriedtoapply。Istudiedthenorthandsouthslopesofthecanyon,observinghowthetreesprosperedonthesunnyside。Certainsaplingsofaspeciesunknowntomehadbeengnawedfullytenfeetfromtheground。Thispuzzledme。Squirrelscouldnothavedoneit,norrabbits,norbirds。PresentlyIhituponthesolution。Thebarkandboughsofthisparticularsaplingwerefoodfordeer,andtognawsohighthedeermusthavestooduponsixorsevenfeetofsnow。
Idugintothesoftduffunderthepines。Thiscoveringoftherootswasverythickanddeep。Imadeitouttobecomposedofpine—needles,leaves,andearth。Itwaslikeasponge。Nowondersuchcoveringheldthewater!I
priedbarkoffdeadtreesanddugintodecayedlogstofindtheinsectenemiesofthetrees。Theopenplaces,wherelittlecoloniesofpinesproutsgrew,seemedgenerallytobedown—slopefromtheparenttrees。Itwaseasytotelltheplaceswherethewindhadblowntheseeds。
Thehoursspedby。Theshadowsofthepineslengthened,thesunset,andtheshadedeepenedinthehollows。Returningtomycamp,Icookedmysupperandmademybed。WhenIhadlaidupastoreoffirewooditwasnearlydark。
Withnightcamethecoyotes。Thecarcassofthedeerattractedthem,andtheyapproachedfromalldirections。Atfirstitwasfascinatingtohearonehowlfaroffintheforest,andthentonoticethedifferenceinthesoundashecamenearerandnearer。Thewaytheybarkedandsnappedoutthereinthedarknesswasaswildathingtohearasanyboycouldhavewishedfor。Itbegantobealittletoomuchforme。Ikeptupabrightfire,and,thoughnotexactlyafraid,Ihadaperchpickedoutinthenearesttree。Suddenlythecoyotesbecamesilent。Thenalow,continuousgrowling,asnappingoftwigs,andtheunmistakabledragofaheavybodyoverthegroundmademyhairstandonend。Grippingmyrifle,Ilistened。
Iheardthecrunchofteethonbones,thenmoresoundsofsomethingbeingdraggeddownthehollow。Thecoyotesbegantobarkagain,butnowfarbackintheforest。
Somebeasthadfrightenedthem。Whatwasit?Ididnotknowwhetherabearwouldeatdeerflesh,,butIthoughtnot。Perhapstimber—wolveshaddisturbedthecoyotes。Butwouldtheyrunfromwolves?Itcametomesuddenly——amountain—lion!
Ihuggedmyfire,andsatthere,listeningwithallmyears,imaginingeveryrustleofleaftobethestepofalion。Itwaslongbeforethethrillsandshiversstoppedchasingoverme,longerbeforeIcoulddecidetoliedown。Butafterawhilethedeadquietoftheforestpersuadedmethatthenightwasfaradvanced,andIfellasleep。
ThefirstthinginthemorningItookmyrifleandwentouttowhereIhadleftthecarcassofthedeer。Itwasgone。Ithadbeendraggedaway。Adarkpathonthepine—needlesandgrass,andsmallbushespressedtotheground,plainlymarkedthetrail。ButsearchasImight,Icouldnotfindthetrackoftheanimalthathaddraggedoffthedeer。Afterfollowingthetrailforafewrods,Idecidedtoreturntocampandcookbreakfastbeforegoinganyfarther。WhileIwasatitIcutmanythinslicesofvenison,and,afterroastingthem,Istoredthemawayinthecapaciouspocketofmycoat。
Mybreakfastfinished,Iagainsetouttoseewhathadbecomeoftheremainsofthedeer。Intwoorthreeplacesthesharphoofshadcutlinesinthesoftearth,andthereweretuftsofwhitish—grayhairelsewhere。A
hundredyardsormoredownthehollowIcametoabarespotwhererecentlytherehadbeenapoolofwater。HereIfoundcattracksaslargeasmytwohands。Ihadneverseenthetrackofamountain—lion,but,allthesame,I
knewthatthiswastherealthing。Whatanenormousbrutehemusthavebeen!Icastfearfulglancesintothesurroundingthickets。
Itwasnotneedfultotravelmuchfarther。Underabushwellhiddeninaclumpoftreeslaywhatnowremainedofmydeer。Apatchofgrayhair,afewlongbones,asplitskull,andtwolongears——nomore!Eventhehidewasgone。Perhapsthecoyoteshadfinishedthejobafterthelionhadgorgedhimself,butIdidnotthinkso。Itseemedtomethatcoyoteswouldhavescatteredtheremains。Thosetwolongearssomehowseemedpathetic。I
wishedforasecondthatthelionwereinrangeofmyrifle。
ThelionwasdrivenfrommymindwhenIsawatroopofdeercrossagladebelowme。Ihadtofightmyselftokeepfromshooting。Thewindblewratherstronginmyface,whichprobablyaccountedforthedeernotwindingme。
Thenthewhip—likecrackofariflerivetedmewhereIstood。Oneofthedeerfell,andtheothersboundedaway。Isawatallmanstridedowntheslopeandintotheglade。Hewasnotlikeanyoftheloggersorlumbermen。
Theyweremostlybrawnyandround—shouldered。Thismanwaslithe,erect;hewalkedlikeathletesIhadseen。SurelyIshouldfindafriendinhim,andIlostnotimeinrunningdownintotheglade。HesawmeassoonasIwasclearofthetrees,andstoodleaningonhisrifle。
\"Wal,dog—gonemybuttons!\"heejaculated。\"Who’reyou?\"
Iblurtedoutallaboutmyself,atthesametimetakingstockofhim。Hewasnotyoung,butIhadneverseenayoungmansosplendid。Hair,beard,andskinwereallofadarkgray。Hiseyes,too,weregray——thekeenestandclearestIhadeverlookedinto。Theyshonewithakindlylight,otherwiseImighthavethoughthisfacehardandstern。Hisshoulderswereverywide,hisarmslong,hishandsenormous。Hisbuckskinshirtattractedmyattentiontohisotherclothes,whichlookedlikeleatheroverallsorheavycanvas。Abeltcarriedahugeknifeandanumberofshellsoflargecaliber;theWinchesterhehadwasexceedinglylongandheavy,andofanoldpattern。ThelookofhimbroughtbackmyoldfancyofWetzelorKitCarson。
\"SoI’mlost,\"Iconcluded,\"anddon’tknowwhattodo。Idaren’ttrytofindthesawmill。Iwon’tgobacktoHolstonjustyet。\"
\"An’whynot,youngster?’Pearstomeyou’dbettermaketracksfromPenetier。\"
Itoldhimwhy,atwhichhelaughed。
\"Wal,Ireckonyoucanstaywithmeferaspell。Mycamp’sintheheadofthiscanyon。\"
\"Oh,thankyou,that’llbefine!\"Iexclaimed。Mygreatgoodluckfilledmewithjoy。\"Doyoustayonthemountain?\"
\"Be’nheregoin’oneighteenyears,youngster。Mebbeyou’veheerdmyname。
HiramBent。\"
\"Areyouahunter?\"
\"Wal,Ireckonso,thoughI’mmoreatrapper。Here,youpackmygun。\"
Withthathedrewhisknifeandsettoworkonthedeer。Itwaswonderfultoseehisskill。Inafewcutsandstrokes,arippingofthehideandapowerfulslash,hehadcutoutahaunch。Ittookevenlessworkforthesecond。Thenhehungtherestofthedeeronasnag,andwipedhisknifeandhandsonthegrass。
\"Comeon,youngster,\"hesaid,startingupthecanyon。
Ishowedhimwherethecarcassofmydeerhadbeendevoured。
\"Cougar。Thar’sabigfellerhastherunofthiscanyon。\"
\"Cougar?Ithoughtitwasamountain—lion。\"
\"Cougar,painter,panther,lion——allthesamecritter。An’ifyouleavehimalonehe’llnotbotheryou,buthe’sbadinacorner。\"
\"Hescaredawaythecoyotes。\"
\"Youngster,evenasilver—tip——thet’sagrizzlybear——willmaketracksawayfromacougar。IlentmypackofhoundstoapardovernearSpringer。IfI
hadthemwe’dputthetcougarupatreeinnotime。\"
\"Aretheremanylions——cougarshere?\"
\"Onlyafew。Thet’swhythere’splentyofdeer。Othergameisplentiful,too。Foxes,wolves,an’,upinthemountains,bearsarethick。\"
\"ThenImaygettoseeone——getashotatone?\"
\"Wal,Ireckon。\"
FromthattimeItrodonair。IfoundmyselfwishingformybrotherHal。I
becamereconciledtothelossofmustangandoutfit。ForamomentIalmostforgotDickandBuell。Forestryseemedlessimportantthanhunting。Ihadreadathousandbooksaboutoldhuntersandtrappers,andhereIwasinawildmountaincanyonwithahunterwhomighthavesteppedoutofoneofmydreams。SoItrudgedalongbesidehim,askingaquestionnowandthen,andlisteningalways。Hecertainlyknewwhatwouldinterestme。TherewasscarcelyathinghesaidthatIwouldeverforget。Afterawhile,however,thetrailbecamesosteepandroughthatI,atleast,hadnobreathtosparefortalking。Weclimbedandclimbed。Thecanyonhadbecomeanarrow,rockycleft。Hugestonesblockedtheway。Araggedgrowthofunderbrushfringedthestream。Deadpines,withbrancheslikespears,layalongthetrail。
Wecameuponalittleclearing,wheretherewasarudelog—cabinwithastonechimney。Skinsofanimalsweretackeduponlogs。Underthebankwasaspring。Themountainovershadowedthiswildnook。
\"Wal,youngster,here’smyshack。Makeyourselftohome,\"saidHiramBent。
Iwasalleyesasweenteredthecabin。Skins,largeandsmall,andofmanycolors,hunguponthewalls。Afireburnedinawidestonegrate。Aroughtableandsomepansandcookingutensilsshowedevidenceofrecentscouring。Abunchofsteeltrapslayinacorner。Uponashelfweretincansandclothbags,andagainstthewallstoodabedofglossybearskins。
Tomethecabinwasaltogetheramostsatisfactoryplace。
\"Ireckonye’retired?\"askedthehunter。\"Thet’ssomepumpkinsofaclimbunlessyou’reusedtoit。\"
IadmittedIwasprettytired。
\"Wal,restawhile。Youlooklikeyouhadn’tsleptmuch。\"
Heaskedmeaboutmypeopleandhome,andwassointerestedinforestrythatheleftoffhistaskofthemomenttotalkaboutit。Iwasnotlongindiscoveringthatwhathedidnotknowabouttreesandforestswashardlyworthlearning。Hecalleditplainwoodcraft。Hehadneverheardofforestry。AllthesameIhungeredforhisknowledge。Howluckyformetofallinwithhim!Thethingsthathadpuzzledmeaboutthepinesheansweredeasily。Thenhevolunteeredinformation。Fromtalkingoftheforest,hedriftedtothelumbermen。
\"Wal,thelumber—sharksarerippin’holesinPenetier。Ireckontheywouldn’tstopatnothin’。I’veheeredsometoughstoriesaboutthetsawmillgang。Iain’tacquaintedwithLeslie,oranyofthemfellersyounamedexceptJimWilliams。IknowedJim。HewasinSpringerferawhile。IfJim’syourfriend,there’llbesomethin’happenin,whenheroundsupthemkidnappers。Ireckonyou’dbetterhangupwithmeferawhile。Youdon’twanttogetketchedagain。Yourlifewasn’tmuchtothemfellers。Ithinkthey’dheldontoyoufermoney。It’stoobadyoudidn’tsendwordhometoyourpeople。\"
\"Isentwordhomeaboutthebigstealoftimber。ThatwasbeforeIgotkidnapped。BythistimetheGovernmentknows。\"
\"Wal,youdon’tsay!Thetwaspertofyou,youngster。An’willtheGovernmentroundupthesesharks?\"
\"Indeeditwill。TheGovernmentisindeadearnestaboutprotectingtheNationalForests。\"
\"Soitoughttobe。Nexttoaforestfire,Ihatetheseskinnedtimbertracts。Wal,oldPenetier’sgoingtoseesomethin’livelybeforelong。
Youngster,themlumbermen——leastways,themfellersyoucallBudan’Bill,an’such——they’regoin’tofight。\"
Theoldhunterleftmepresently,andwentoutside。Iwaitedawhileforhim,butashedidnotreturnIlaydownuponthebearskinsanddroppedtosleep。ItseemedIhadhardlyclosedmyeyeswhenIfeltahandonmyarmandheardavoice。
\"Wakeup,youngster。Thar’stwooldbearsan’acubbeenfoolin’withoneofmytraps。\"
InaflashIwaswideawake。
\"Let’sseeyourgun。Humph!prettysmall——38caliber,ain’tit?Wal,it’lldotheworkifyouholdstraight。Canyoushoot?\"
\"Fairlywell。\"
HetookhisheavyWinchester,andthrewacoilofthinropeoverhisshoulder。
\"Comeon。Stayclosetome,an’keepyoureyespeeled。\"
XII。BEARS
TheoldhunterwalkedsoswiftlythatIhadtoruntokeepupwithhim。Thetrailledupthecreek,nowononeside,againontheother,andIwasconstantlyskippingfromstonetostone。Thegrassyslopesgrewfewer,andfinallygavewayaltogethertocrackedcliffsandweatheredrocks。Afringeofpine—treesleanedoverthetopwithhereandthereablastedspearstandingoutwhite。
\"Ihadmytrapsetupthetdraw,\"saidHiramBent,ashepointedtowardanintersectingcanyon。\"JustbeforeIwakedyouIwascomin’alonghere,an’
Iheeredanall—firedracketupthar,an’soIwatched。Soonthreeblackbearscomepaddlin’down,an’thebiggestwasdraggin’thetrapwiththechainan’log。ThenIhurriedtotellyou。Theycan’tbefar。\"
\"Aretheygrizzlies?\"Iasked,tryingtospeaknaturally。
\"Nope。Jestplainblackbears。Buttheonewiththetrapisawhopper。
He’llgooverfourhundred。Seethetracks?Lookslikesomebody’dbeenplowin’upthestones。\"
Thereweredeeptracksinthesand,andbroadfurrows,andstonesoverturned,andplaceswhereaheavyobjecthadcrushedthegravelevenandsmooth。
Theoldhunterkeptstridingon,andIwonderedbowhecouldgosofastwithoutrunning。Presentlywecametowherethecanyonforked。Hiramstarteduptheright—handfork,thensuddenlystopped,and,turning,begantogoback,carefullyexaminingtheground。
\"They’vesplitonus,\"heexplained。\"Theolefellerwiththetrapwentuptheright—handdraw,an’themotheran’cubtooktotheleft。Now,youngster,canyoukeepyournerve?\"
\"Ithinkso。\"
\"Wal,yougoaftertheolefeller。Youcan’tmisshim,an’hewon’tbefar。
You’llhearhimbellerin’longbeforeyougittohim,thoughhemightlaylow,soyousteerclearofbigbouldersan’thickets。Killhim,an’thenrunbackan’takeupthisdraw。Theshebeariscutean’maygivemetheslip,butifshedoesn’tclimboutsoonI’llheadheroff。Hurryon,now。
Keepyoureyepeeled,an’you’llbesafeasifyouweretohome。\"
Withthathedisappearedroundthecornerofstonewallwherethecanyondivided。Iwheeledandwenttotheright。Thiswingofthecanyontwistedandturnedandwasfullofstones。Ashallowsheetofwatergleamedoveritscoloredbedofgravel。Thewallswerestraightup,and,inplaces,bulgedoutward。Iflinchedateveryturninthecanyon;but,withriflecockedandthrustforward,Iwenton。Thecracksinthewalls,thebouldersandpiecesofcliffthatobstructedmypath,andtheoccasionalthickets——
allmademehaltwithcarefulstepandfingeronthetrigger。Ifollowedthesplashesonthestones,whichtoldmethatthebearhadpassedthatway。AsIwentcautiouslyonIfeltatighteningatmythroat。Thelightabovegrewdimmer。WhenIstoppedtolistenitwassosilentthatIheardonlythepoundingofmyheartandmyownquickbreathing。Ipressedonandon,goingfasterallthetimenotthatIfeltbraver,butIlongedtoendthesuspense。Suddenlythesilencewasbrokenbyathreateningroar。Itsweptdownonme,swellingasitcontinued,anditseemedtofillthecanyon。Itshookmypulses,iturgedmetoflight,butIcouldnotmove。
Thenassuddenlyitceased。
ForalongmomentIstoodstill,withnoideaofadvancingfarther。Theclinkingofachainseemedtoreleasemycrampedmuscles。VerycautiouslyI
peeredaroundaprojectingcornerofwall。Theresatahugeblackbearonhishaunchesholdingupagreatsteeltrapwhichclutchedoneofhispaws。
Itwassuchastrangesightthatmyfearwasforgotten。Therewassomethingalmosthumaninthewaythebearlookedatthattrap。Hetoucheditgingerlywithhisfreepaw,andnosedit。Icreptupclosetothecornerofstoneandlookedaroundagain。Thebearwasnowclosetome。Isawtheheavychainandthelogtowhichitwasattached。Helookedattrapandloginagrave,patheticway,asiftryingtoreasonaboutthem。Thenherousedintofuriousaction,swingingthetrap,draggingthelog,andbellowinginsuchafrightfulmannerthatIdodgedbackbehindthewall。
Butthissuddenchangeinthebear,thisappallingroarwithitsnoteofpain,awakenedmetohissuffering。WhenthenoisestoppedandIlookedagain,thebearwasasightnottobeforgotten。Heshowedahelpless,terriblefearofthesteel—jawedthingonhisfoot。Hedroppeddownonthesandwithagroan,andtherewasadespairinglookinhiseyes。
Thismademeforgetmyfear,andIhadonlyonethought——toputhimoutofhismisery。WhenIleveledmyrifleitwasassteadyastherockbesideme。
Aimingjustbelowhisear,Ipressedthetrigger。Thedullreportre—echoedfromwalltowall。Thebearlurchedslightly,andhisheadfelluponhisoutstretchedpaws。Iwaited,readytoshootagainupontheslightestmovement,buttherewasnone。
WithriflereadyIcautiouslyapproachedthebear。AsIcamecloseheseemedlargerandlarger,butheshowednosignsoflife。Ilookedattheglossyblackfur,theflecksofbloodonthesideofhisheadwheremybullethadentered,themurderoussaw—teethoftheheavytrapbitingtothebone,andthecrueltyofthattrapseemedtodrivefrommeallprideofachievement。Itwasnothingexceptmercytokillatrappedcrippledbearthatcouldnotrunorfight。ThenandthereIgainedadislikefortrappinganimals。
Thecrackoftheoldhunter’sriflemademerememberthatIwastohurrybackuptheothercanyon,soIbegantorun。Iboundedfromstonetostone,dashedoverthesand—bars,jumpedthebrook,andwentdownthatcanyonperhapsinfargreaterdangerofbodilyharmthanwhenIhadgoneup。
ButwhenIturnedthecorneritwasanotherstory。Thefirstcanyonhadbeeneasyclimbingcomparedtothisone。Itwasnarrow,steep,andfullofdeadpinesfallenfromabove。Runningwasimpossible。Iclamberedupwardovertheloosestones,underthebridgesofpines,roundtheboulders。
PresentlyIheardashout。Icouldnottellwhereitcamefrom,butI
replied。AsecondcallIidentifiedascomingfromhighuptheraggedcanyonside,andIstartedup。Itwashardwork。Certainlynobearsorhunterhadclimbedoutjusthere。Atlength,sore,spent,andtorn,Ifelloutofatangleofbrushupontheedgeofthecanyon。Abovemerosetheswellingmountainslopethicklycoveredwithdwarfpines。
\"Thisway,youngster!\"calledtheoldhunterfrommyleft。
Afewmoredashesinandoutofthebrushandtreesbroughtmetoafairlyopenspacewithnotmuchslope。HiramBentstoodunderapine,andathisfeetlayablackfurrymass。
\"Wal,Iheerdyoushoot。Reckonyougotyourn?\"
\"Yes,Ikilledhim……Say,Mr。Bent,Idon’tliketraps。\"
\"NarydoI——forbears,\"repliedhe,shakinghisgrayhead。\"AtrappedbearisaboutthepitifulestthingIeverseen。Butit’sseldomoneevergitsintotrapofmine。\"
\"Thisoneyoushotmustbetheoldmotherbear。Where’sthecub?Diditgetaway?\"
\"Notyet。Lookupinthetree。\"
Ilookeduptheblacktrunkthroughthenetworkofslenderbranches,andsawthebearsnugglinginafork。Hissharpearsstoodupagainstthesky。
Hewasmostanxiouslygazingdownatus。
\"Wal,tumblehimoutofthar,\"saidHiramBent。
WithanaturalimpulsetoshootIraisedmyrifle,butthecublookedsoattractiveandsohelplessthatIhesitated。
\"Idon’tliketodoit,\"Isaid。\"Oh,Iwishwecouldcatchhimalive!\"
\"Wal,Ireckonwecan。\"
\"How?\"Iinquired,eagerly,andloweredmyrifle。
\"Areyougoodontheclimb?\"
\"Climb?Thistree?Why,withonehand。BackinPennsylvaniaIclimbedshell—barkhickory—treeswiththelowestlimbfiftyfeetfromtheground……Butthereweren’tanybearsupthem。\"
\"Youmustkeepoutofhiswayifhecomesdownonyou。He’sasassylittlechap。Nowtakethisropean’goupan’climbroundhim。\"
\"Climbroundhim?\"Iqueried,asIgazeddubiouslyupward。\"Youmeantoslipoutonthebranchesandgouphand—over—handtillIgetabovehim。Thebranchesupthereseemprettyclose——Imight。Butsupposehegoeshigher?\"
\"I’mlookin’ferhimtogocleantothetop。Butyoucanbeathimtoit——
mebbe。\"
\"Anydangerofhisattackingme——upthere?\"
\"Wal,notmuch。Ifhehugsthetrunkhe’llhavetoholdonferallhe’sworth。Butifhestandsonthebranchesan’youcomeupclosehemightbatyouone。MebbeI’dbettergoup。\"
\"Oh,I’mgoing——Ionlywantedtoknowwhattoexpect。Now,incaseIgetabovehim,whatthen?\"
\"Makehimbackdowntillhereachesthesefirstbranches。WhenhegetssofarI’lltellyouwhattodo。\"Iputmyarmthroughthecoilofrope,and,slingingitsnuglyovermyshoulder,begantoclimbthepine。Itwastheworkofonlyamomenttoreachthefirstbranch。
\"Wal,Ireckonyou’resomerelationtoasquirrelatthet,\"saidHiramBent。\"JestasIthoughtthelittlecussisclimbin’higher。Thet’sgoin’
toworryus。\"
Itwaslikesteppingupaladderfromthefirstbranchtothefork。Thecubhadgoneuptheright—handtrunksomefifteenfeet,andwasnowhuggingit。
Atthatshortdistancehelookedalarminglybig。ButIsawhewouldhaveallhecoulddotoholdon,andifIcouldclimbthelefttrunkandgetabovehimtherewouldbelittletofear。HowIdiditsoquicklywasamystery,butamidthecrackingofdeadbranchesandpatteringoffallingbarkandswayingofthetree—topIgainedapositionabovehim。
HewassoclosethatIcouldsmellhim。Hisquicklittleeyessnappedfireandfearatonce;heutteredasoundthatwasbetweenawhineandagrowl。
\"Hey,youngster!\"yelledHiram,\"thet’shighenough——’tain’tsafe——becarefulnow。\"
WiththewordsIlookedoutbelowme,toseetheoldhunterstandinginthegladewavinghisarms。
\"I’mallright!\"Iyelleddown。\"Now,how’llIdrivehim?\"
\"Breakoffabranchan’switchhim。\"
TherewasnotabranchabovemethatIcouldbreak,butafewfeetbelowwasaslender,deadlimb。Isliddownandgotit,and,holdingonwithmyleftarmandlegs,Ibegantothrashthecub。Hegrowledfiercely。snappedatthestick,andbegantobackdown。
\"He’sstarted!\"Icried,inglee。\"Goon,Cubby——downwithyou!\"
Clumsyashewas,hemadeswifttime。Iwashardputtokeepclosetohim。
Islippeddownthetrunk——holdingononeinstantandslidingdownthenext。
ButbelowtheforkitwasharderforCubbyandeasierforme。Thebranchesratherhinderedhisbackwardprogresswhiletheyaidedmine。Growlingandwhining,withlongclawsrippingthebark,hewentdown。AllofasuddenI
becameawareoftheoldhunterthreshingaboutunderthetree。
\"Holdon——notsofast!\"heyelled。
Stillthecubkeptgoing,andstoppedwithhishaunchesonthefirstbranch。There,lookingdown,hesawanenemybelowhim,andhesitated。Buthelookedup,and,seeingme,begantobackdownagain。Hirampoundedthetreewithadeadbranch。Cubbyevidentlyintendedtoreachtheground,forthenoisedidnotstophim。Thenthehunterranalittlewaytoawindfall,andcamebackwiththeupperhalfofadeadsapling。Withthishebegantoprodthebear。Thereupon,Cubbylostnotimeingettinguptothefirstbranchagain,wherehehalted。
\"Throwthenooseonhimnow——anywhere,\"orderedthehunter。\"An’we’venotimetolose。He’sgittin’sassiereveryminnit。\"
IdroppedthewideloopuponCubby,expectingtocatchhimfirsttime。Theropewentoverhisbead,butwithadexterousflipofhispawhesentitflying。Thenbeganaduelbetweenus,inwhichhecontinuallygotthebetterofme。AllthewhiletheoldhunterproddedCubbyfrombelow。
\"Youain’tquickenough,\"saidHiram,impatiently。
Maderecklessbythis,Isteppeddowntoanotherbranchdirectlyoverthebear,andtriedagaintoropehim。Itwasofnouse。Heslippedoutofthenoosewiththesinuousmovementsofaneel。Onceitcaughtoverhisearsandinhisopenjaws。Hegaveajerkthatnearlypulledmefrommyperch。I
couldtellhewasgrowingangriereveryinstant,andalsobraver。Suddenlythenoose,quitebyaccident,caughthisnose。HewaggedhisheadandI
pulled。Thenoosetightened。
\"I’vegothim!\"Iyelled,andgavetheropeastrongpull。
Thebearstoodupwithstartlingsuddennessandreachedforme。
\"Climb!\"shoutedHiram,Idroppedtheropeandleapedforthebranchabove,and,catchingit,liftedmyselfjustasthesharpclawsofthecubscratchedhardovermyboot。
Cubbynowhuggedthetreetrunkandstartedupagain。
\"We’vegothim!\"yelledHiram。\"Don’tmove——steponhisnoseifhegetstooclose。\"
ThenIsawthehalterhadcomeoffthebearandhadfallentotheground。
Hirampickeditup,arrangedthenoose,and,holdingitinhisteethbegantolimbafterthebear。Cubbywasnowonlyafewfeetunderme,workingsteadilyup,growling,andhislittleeyeswerelikepointsofgreenfire。
\"Stophim!Standonhishead!\"mumbledHiram,withtheropeinhisteeth。
\"What!——notonyourlife!\"
But,reachingup,Igraspedabranch,and,swingingclearofthelowerone,Ibegantokickatthebear。Thisstoppedhim。Thenhesquealed,andbegantokickonhisownaccount。Hiramwastryingtogetthenooseoverabindfoot。Afterseveralattemptshesucceeded,andthenthrewtheropeoverthelowestbranch。IgaveawildIndianyelloftriumph。Thenextinstant,beforeIcouldfindafoothold,thebranchtowhichIwashangingsnappedlikeapistol—shot,andIplungeddownwithacrash。Istruckthebearandthelowerbranch,andthentheground。Thefallhalfstunnedme。Ithoughteveryboneinmybodywasbroken。Iroseunsteadily,andforamomenteverythingwhirledbeforemyeyes。ThenIdiscoveredthattheroarinmyearswastheoldhunter’syell。Isawhimhaulingontherope。Therewasagreatrippingofbarkandmanystrangesounds,andthenthecubwasdanglingheaddownward。Hiramhadpulledhimfromhisperch,andhunghimoverthelowestbranch。
\"Thar,youngster,gitbusynow!\"yelledthehunter。\"Grabtheotherrope——
tharitis——an’ropeafrontpawwhileIholdhim。Livelynow,he’smightyheavy,an’ifheevergitsdownwithonlyoneropeonhimwe’llthinkwe’refasttochainlightnin’。\"
Thebearswungaboutfivefeetfromtheground。AsIranathimwiththenoosehetwistedhimself,seemedtodoubleupinaknot,thenhedroppedfull—stretchedagain,andlungedviciouslyatme。TwiceIfeltthewindofhispaws。Hespunaroundsofastthatitkeptmedancing。Iflungthenooseandcaughthisrightpaw。Hirambawledsomethingthatmademeallthemoreheedless,andintighteningthenooseIranintooclose。Thebeargavemeaslashingcuffonthesideofthehead,andIwentdownlikeatenpin。
\"Gitahitchthar——tothesaplin’!\"roaredHiram,asIstaggeredtomyfeet。\"Rustlenow——hurry!\"
Whatwithmyringinghead,andfingersallthumbs,andHiramroaringatme,Imadeamessoftyingtheknot。ThenHiramletgohisrope,andwhenthecubdroppedtothegroundtheropeflewupoverthebranch。CubbyleapedsoquicklythathejerkedtheropeawaybeforeHiramcouldpickitup,andonehardpullloosenedmyhitchonthesapling。
Thecubboundedthroughtheglade,draggingmewithhim。ForafewlongleapsIkeptmyfeet,thendownIsprawled。
\"Hangon!Hangon!\"Hiramyelledfrombehind。
IfIhadnotbeenangryclearthroughatthatcubImighthaveletgo。Heploughedmyfaceinthedirt,andalmostjerkedmyarmsoff。Suddenlythestrainlessened。Igotup,toseethattheoldhunterhadholdoftheotherrope。
\"Now,stretchhimout!\"heyelled。
Betweenuswestretchedthecubout,sothatallhecoulddowasstruggleandpawtheairandutterstrangecries。Hiramtiedhisropetoatree,andthenranbacktorelieveme。Itwashightime。Hetookmyropeandfastenedittoastoutbush。
\"Thar,youngster,Ireckonthet’llholdhim!Nowtiehispawsan’muzzlehim。\"
Hedrewsomebuckskinthongsfromhispocketandhandedthemtome。Wewentuptothestrainingcub,andHiram,withonepullofhispowerfulhands,broughtthehindlegstogether。
\"Tie’em,\"hesaid。
Thisdone,withtheaidofaheavypieceofwoodhepressedthecub’sheaddownandwoundathongtightlyroundthesharpnose。Thenhetiedthefrontlegs。
\"Thar!Nowyouloosentheropesan’windthemup。\"
WhenIhaddonethisheliftedthecubandswunghimoverhisbroadback。
\"Comeon,youtrailbehind,an’keepyoureyepeeledtoseehedoesn’tworkthetknotoffhisjaws……Say,youngster,nowyou’vegothim,whatinthunderwillyoudowithhim?\"
Ilookedatmytorntrousers,atthebloodonmyskinnedandburninghands,andIfeltofthebruiseonmyhead,asIsaid,grimly:\"I’llhangtohimaslongasIcan。\"
XIII。THECABININTHEFOREST
HiramBentpackedthecubdownthecanyonashewouldhavehandledasackofoats。Whenwereachedthecabinhefastenedaheavydog—collarroundCubby’sneckandsnappedachaintoit。Doublingthehalter,hetiedoneendtothechainandtheothertoasturdybranchofatree。Thisdone,heslippedthethongsoffthebear。
\"Thar!He’llletyoupethiminafewdaysmebbe,\"hesaid。
Ourcaptivedidnotyetshowanysignsofbecomingtame。Nosoonerwashefreeofthebuckskinthongsthanheleapedaway,onlytobepulledupbythehalter。Thenherolledoverandover,clawingatthechain,andsquirmingtogethisheadoutofthecollar。
\"Hemightchokehisself,\"saidHiram,\"butmebbehe’lleaseupifwestayawayfromhim。Nowwe’vegottorustletoskinthemtwobears。\"
So,aftergivingmeahunting—knife,andtellingmetofetchmyrifle,hesetoffupthecanyon。AsItrudgedalongbehindhimIspokeofDickLeslie,andaskediftherewerenotsomewaytogethimoutoftheclutchesofthelumberthieves。
\"I’vebeenthinkin’aboutthet,\"repliedthehunter,\"an’Ireckonwecan。
Tomorrowwe’llcrosstheridgehighupbackofthetspring—holecanyon,an’
sneakdown。’Pearstomethemfellerswillbetrailin’youprettyhard,an’
mebbethey’llleaveonlyonetoguardLeslie。More’nthet,thetrailupheretomyshackisknown,an’I’mthinkin’we’dbesmarttogooffan’
campsomewhereelse。\"
\"What’llIdoaboutCubby?\"Iasked,quickly。
\"Cubby?Oh,thetbearcub。Wal,takehimalong。Youngster,youdon’twanttopackthetpeskycubbacktoPennsylvania?\"
\"Yes,Ido。\"
\"Ireckonitain’tlikelyyoucan。He’sprettyheavy。Weighsnearlyahundred。An’he’dmakeaheapoftrouble。Mebbewe’llketchalittlecub——oneyoucancarryinyourarms。\"
\"That’dbestillbetter,\"Ireplied。\"Butifwedon’t,I’lltrytotakehimbackhome。\"
TheoldhuntersaidImadeagoodshotatthebigbear,andthathewouldgivemetheskinforarug。Itdelightedmetothinkofthathugeglossybearskinonthefloorofmyden。ItoldHiramhowthebearhadsuffered,andIwasgladtoseethat,althoughhewasahunterandtrapper,hedislikedtocatchabearinatrap。Weskinnedtheanimal,andcutoutaquantityofmeat。Hetoldmethatbearmeatwouldmakemeforgetallaboutvenison。Bythetimewehadclimbeduptheothercanyonandskinnedtheotherbearandreturnedtocampitwasdark。Asforme,IwassotiredI
couldhardlycrawl。
Inspiteofmyachesandpains,thatwasanightformetoremember。ButtherewasthethoughtofDickLeslie。Hisrescuewastheonlythingneededtomakemehappy。DickwasinmymindevenwhenHiramcookedasupperthatalmostmademeforgetmymanners。Certainlythebroiledbearmeatmademeforgetvenison。Thenwetalkedbeforetheburninglogsinthestonefire—
place。Hiramsatonhishome—madechairandsmokedastrong—smellingpipewhileIlayonabearskininblissfulease。Occasionallyweheardthecuboutsiderattlinghischainandgrowling。AllofthetrappersandIndianfightersIhadreadofweredifferentfromHiramBentandJimWilliams。
Jim’ssoftdrawlandkind,twinklingeyeswerenotwhatanybook—readerwouldexpecttofindinadangerousman。AndHiramBentwassosimpleandfriendly,sogladtohaveevenaboytotalkto,thatitseemedhewouldneverstop。Ifithadnotbeenforhisstrikingappearanceandforthestrange,wildtaleshetoldofhislonelylife,hewouldhaveremindedmeoftheoldcanal—locktendersathome。
Once,whenhewasrefillinghispipeandIthoughtitwouldbeagoodtimetoprofitfromhisknowledgeoftheforests,Isaidtohim:
\"Now,Mr。Bent,let’ssupposeI’mthePresidentoftheUnitedStates,andI
havejustappointedyoutotheofficeofChiefForesteroftheNationalForests。Youhavefullpower。Theobjectistoconserveournationalresources。Whatwillyoudo?\"
\"Wal,Mr。President,\"hebegan,slowlyandseriously,andwithgreatdignity,\"theGovernmentmustowntheforestsan’dealwiselywiththem。
Thesemountainforestsaregreatspongestoholdthewater,an’wemuststopfirean’recklesscuttin’。Thefirstthingistoovercometheoppositionofthestockmen,an’showthemwherethebenefitwillbetheirsinthelongrun。Nextthetimbermustbeused,butnotallusedup。We’llneedrangerswho’reusedtorustlin’intheWestan’knowWesternways。
Cabinsmustbebuilt,trailsmade,roadscut。We’llneedaheadforesterforeveryforest。Thismanmustknowallthat’sonhispreserve,an’haveitmapped。Hemustteachhisrangerswhatheknowsabouttrees。Penetierwillbegivenoverentirelytothegrowin’ofyellowpine。Thetthrivesbest,an’theparasitesmustgo。Alldeadan’oldtimbermustbecut,an’
muchofthetwherethetreesarecrowded。Thenorthslopesmustbecutenoughtoletinthesunan’light。Brush,windfallsrottin’logsmustbeburned。Thicketsofyoungpinemustbethinned。Careoughtenbetakennottocutonthenorthan’westedgesoftheforests,astheoldguardpineswillbreakthewind。\"
\"Howwillyoutreatminersandprospectors?\"
\"Theymustbeasfreetotakeupclaimsasiftherewasn’tnoNationalForest。\"
\"Howaboutthesettler,themanseekingahomeoutWest?\"Iwenton。
\"We’llencouragehim。Themorementhereare,thebettertheforestercanfightfire。Butthosehome—seekersmustwantahome,an’notbesquattin’
foralittle,jesttosellouttolumbersharks。\"
\"What’stobecomeoftimberandwood?\"
\"Wal,it’stheretobeused,an’mustbeused。We’llgiveitfreetothesettleran’prospector。We’llsellitcheaptothelumbermen——bigan’
little。We’llconsiderthewantsofthelocalmenfirst。\"
\"Nowabouttherange。Willyoukeepoutthestockmen?\"
\"Nary。Grazin’forsheep,cattle,an’hosseswillgoonjestthesame。Butwemustlookoutforovergrazin’。Forinstance,toomanycattlewillstampdownyounggrowth,an’toomanysheepleavenograzin’forotherstock。Thebeadforestermustknowhisbusiness,an’notlethisrangebeoverstocked。
Thesmalllocalherdersan’sheepmenmustbeconsideredfirst,thebigstockmensecond。Bothmustbechargedasmallfeeperheadforgrazin’。\"
\"Howwillyoufightfire?\"
\"Wal,thet’sthehardnuttocrack。Fireistheforest’sworstenemy。InadryseasonlikethisPenetierwouldburnliketinderblownbyabellows。
Firewouldracethroughherefaster’namancouldrun。I’llneedspecialfirerangers,an’allotherrangersmustbetrainedtofightfire,an’thenanymenlivinginorneartheforestwillbepaidtohelp。Thethingtodoiswatchforthesmallfiresan’putthemout。Campersmustbemadetoputouttheirfiresbeforeleavingcamp。Brushpilesan’slashesmustn’tbeburnedindryorwindyweather。\"
JustwhereweleftofftalkingIcouldnotremember,forIdroppedofftosleep。Iseemedhardlytohaveclosedmyeyeswhenthehuntercalledmeinthemorning。Thebreakfastwassmokingonthered—hotcoals,andoutsidethecabinallwasdensegrayfog。
When,soonafter,westarteddownthecanyon,thefogwasliftingandtheforestgrowinglighter。Everythingwasaswhitewithfrostasifithadsnowed。Athin,brittlefrostcrackledunderourfeet。Whenwe,hadgottenbelowtherockyconfinesofthecanyonweclimbedtheslopetothelevelridge。Hereitwasimpossiblenottobelieveithadsnowed。Theforestwasasstillasnight,andlookedverystrangewiththewhiteaisleslinedbyblacktreetrunksandthegrayfogshroudingthetree—tops。Soonwewereclimbingagain,andIsawthatHirammeanttoheadthecanyonwhereIhadleftDick。
Thefogsplitandblewaway,andthebrilliantsunlightchangedtheforest。
Thefrostbegantomelt,andtheairwasfullofmist。Weclimbedandclimbed——outofthestatelyyellow—pinezone,upamongthegnarledandblastedspruces,overandaroundstripsofweatheredstone。OnceIsawacold,whitesnow—peak。Itwashardenoughformetocarrymyrifleandkeepupwiththehunterwithouttalking。Besides,Hiramhadansweredmerathershortly,andIthoughtitbesttokeepsilent。Fromtimetotimehestoppedtolisten。Thenwhenheturnedtogodowntheslopebetrodcarefully,andcautionedmenottoloosenstones,andhewentslowerandyetslower。FromthisImadesurewewerenotfarfromthespringhole。
\"Thar’sthecanyon,\"hewhispered,stoppingtopointbelow,whereablack,irregularlinemarkedthegorge。\"Ihaven’theerdathing,an’we’reclose。
Mebbethey’reasleep。Mebbemostofthemaretrallin’you,an’Ihopeso。
Now,don’tyouputyourhandorfootonanythin’thet’llmakeanoise。\"
Thenheslippedoff,anditwaswonderfultoseehownoiselesslyhestepped,andhowhemovedbetweentreesanddeadbrancheswithoutasound。
Imanagedprettywell,yetmorethanoncearattlingstoneorabrokenbranchstoppedHiramshortandmadehimliftawarninghand。
Atlastwegotdowntothenarrowbenchwhichseparatedthecanyon—slopefromthedeepcut。Itwaslevelandroughlystrewnwithboulders。Herewetooktoallfoursandcrawled。Itwaseasytomoveherewithoutnoise,forthegroundwasrockyandhard,andtherewasnobrush。
SuddenlyIfairlybumpedintothehunter。Lookingup,IsawthathehadhaltedonlyafewfeetfromtheedgeofthegorgewhereIhadclimbedoutinmyescape。Hewaslistening。Therewasnotasoundsavethedullroarofrushingwater。
Hiramslidforwardalittle,androsecautiouslytolookover。Ididthesame。WhenIsawthecaveandthespring—holeIfeltacatchinmythroat。
Buttherewasnotamaninsight。Dick’scaptorshadbrokencamp;theyweregone。Theonlythingleftinthegorgetoshowtheyhadeverbeentherewasaburned—outcampfire。
\"They’regone,\"Iwhispered。
\"Wal,it’pearsso,\"repliedHiram。\"An’it’samoveIdon’tlike。
Youngster,it’syoutheywant。Leslie’snoparticularusetothem。They’llhavetolethimgosoonerorlater,iftheyhain’talready。\"
\"What’llwedonow?\"
\"Maketracks。We’llcutbackacrosttheridgean’gitsomeblanketsan’
grub,thenlightoutfortheothersideofPenetier。\"
Ithoughttheoldhunterhadmaderapidtimeonourwayup,butnowIsawwhathereallymeantby\"makingtracks。\"Fortunately,afterashort,killingclimb,thereturnwasalldown—hill。OnestrideofHiram’sequalledtwoofmine,andhemadehisfaster,sothatIhadtotrotnowandthentocatchup。VerysoonIwasashotasfire,andeverystepwasaneffort。ButIkeptthinkingofDick,ofmymustangandoutfit,andIvowedIwouldsticktoHiramBent’strailtillIdropped。ForthematterofthatIdiddropmorethanoncebeforewereachedthecabin。
AshortrestwhileHiramwaspackingafewthingsputmerightagain。I
strappedmyrifleovermyshoulder,andthenwentouttountiemybearcub。
Itwouldhavecostmeagreatdealtoleavehimbehind。IknewIoughtto,stillIcouldnotbringmyselftoit。AllmylifeIhadwantedabearcub。
HerewasonethatIhadhelpedtolassoandtieupwithmyownhands。I
madeupmymindtoholdtothecubuntilthelastgasp。
SoIwalkeduptoCubbywithamannermoreboldthansincere。Hehadnoteatenanything,buthehaddrunkthewaterwehadleftforhim。TomysurprisehemadenofusswhenIuntiedtherope;ontheotherhand,heseemedtolookpleased,andIthoughtIdetectedacunninggleaminhislittleeyes。Hepaddledawaydownthecanyon,and,asthiswasinthedirectionwewantedtogo,Igavehimslackropeandfollowed。
\"Wal,you’regoin’tohavearightperttime,youngster,an’don’tyouforgetit,\"saidHiramBent。
Thetruthofthatwasverysooninevidence。Cubbywouldnotletwellenoughalone,andhewouldnothaveaslackrope。Ithinkhewantedtochokehimselforpullmyarmsout。WhenIrealizedthatCubbywasthreetimesasstrongasIwasIbegantoseethatmyworkwascutoutforme。
Themore,however,thathejerkedmeandhauledmealong,themoreI
determinedtohangon。IthoughtIhadagenuineloveforhimuptothetimehehadalmostknockedmyheadoff,butitwasfunnyhoweasilyherousedmyangerafterthat。Whatwouldhavehappenedhadhetakenanotiontogothroughthebrush?Luckilyhekepttothetrail,whichcertainlywasroughenough。So,withwatchingthecubandkeepingmyfeetfreeofrootsandrocks,Ihadnochancetolookahead。StillIhadnoconcernaboutthis,fortheoldhunterwasatmyheels,andIknewhewouldkeepasharplookout。
BeforeIwasawareofitwehadgottenoutofthenarrowcanyonintoavalleywithwell—timberedbottom,andopen,slowrisingslopes。WeweregettingdownintoPenetier。Cubbyswervedfromthetrailandstarteduptheleftslope。Ididnotwanttogo,butIhadtokeepwithhim,andthatwastheonlyway。Thehunterstrodebehindwithoutspeaking,andsoIgatheredthatthedirectionsuitedhim。ByleaningbackontheropeIwalkeduptheslopeaseasilyasifitwereamovingstairway。Cubbypulledmeup;Ihadonlytomovemyfeet。WhenwereachedaleveloncemoreIdiscoveredthatthecubwasgrowingstrongerandwantedtogofaster。Wezigzaggedacrosstheridgetothenextcanyon,whichataglanceIsawwasdeepandsteep。
\"Thet’llbesomeworkgoin’downthat!\"calledHiram。\"Letmepackyourgun。\"
Iwouldhavebeengladtogiveittohim,buthowwasItomanage?Icouldnotletgooftherope,andHiram,ladenashewas,couldnotcatchupwithme。Thensuddenlyitwastoolate,forCubbylungedforwardanddown。
Thisfirstdownwardjumpwasnotvicious——onlyaplayfuloneperhaps,bywayofinitiatingme;butitupsetme,andIwasdraggedinthepine—needles。Ididnotleaptomyfeet;Iwasjerkedup。Thenbeganawildchasedownthatsteep,bushyslope。Cubbygotgoing,andIcouldnomorehavecheckedhimthanIcouldasteam—engine。VerysoonIsawthatnotonlywasthebearcubrunningaway,buthewasrunningawaywithme。Isliddownyellowplaceswheretheearthwasexposed,Itorethroughthickets,I
dodgedathousandtrees。InsomegrassydescentsitwasasifIhadseven—leagueboots。Imusthavebrokenallrecordsforjumps。AllatonceI
stumbledjustasCubbymadeaspurtandflewforward,alightingfacedownward。Idugupthepine——needleswithmyoutstretchedhands,Iscrapedwithmyfaceandploughedwithmynose,Iatethedust;andwhenIbroughtupwithajoltagainstalogamorefuriousboythanKenWarditwouldbebardtoimagine。Leapingup,Istrovewitheveryounceofmighttoholdinthebear。Butthoughfurylentmenewstrength,hekepttheadvantage。
PresentlyIsawthebottomofthecanyon,anopenglade,andanoldlog—cabin。Ilookedbacktoseeifthehunterwascoming。Hewasnotinsight,butIfanciedIheardhim。ThenCubby,puttingonextrasteam,tooktheremainingrodsoftheslopeinanotherspurt。Ihadtorace,thenfly,andatlastlostmyfootingandplungeddownintoathicket。
Therefartherprogressstoppedforbothofus。CubbyhadgonedownononesideofasaplingandIontheother,withtheresultthatwewerebroughtupshort。Icrashedthroughsomelowbushesandbumpedsquarelyintothecub。Whetheritwashisfranticefforttoescape,orjustexcitement,ordeliberateintentiontobeatmeintoajellyIhadnomeanstotell。Thefactwashebegantodigatmeandpawmeandmaulme。NeverhadIbeensoangry。Ibegantofightback,topunchandkickhim。
Suddenly,withacrashinginthebushes,thecubwashauledawayfromme,andthenIsawHiramattherope。
\"Wal,wal!\"heejaculated,\"yourownmotherwouldn’townyounow!\"Thenhelaughedheartilyandchuckledtohimself,andgavethecubacoupleofjerksthattookthemischiefoutofhim。IdraggedmyselfafterHiramintotheglade。Thecabinwaslargeandveryold,andpartoftheroofwassunkenin。
\"We’llhangupherean’camp,\"saidHiram。\"Thisisanoldhunters’cabin,an’kinderoutoftheway。We’llhitchthislittlefighterinside,wheremebbehewon’tbesonoisy。\"
Thehunterhauledthecubupshort,andhalfpulled,halfliftedhimintothedoor。Itookoffmyrifle,emptiedmypocketsofbrushandbeatoutthedust,andcombedthepine—needlesfrommyhair。Myhandswerepuffedandred,andsmartedseverely。AndaltogetherIwasinnoamiableframeofmindasregardedmycaptivebearcub。
WhenIsteppedinsidethecabinitwasdark,andcomingfromthebrightlightIcouldnotforamomentseewhattheinteriorlookedlike。PresentlyImadeoutonelargeroomwithnoopeningexceptthedoor。Therewasatumble—downstonefireplaceatoneend,andattheotherarudeladderleduptoaloft。Hiramhadthrownhispackaside,andhadtiedCubbytoapeginthelogwall。
\"Wal,I’llfetchinsomefreshvenison,\"saidthehunter。\"Yourestawhile,an’thengathersomewoodan’makeafire。\"
TherestIcertainlyneeded,forIwassotiredIcouldscarcelyuntiethepacktogetouttheblankets。Thebearcubshowedsignsorweariness,whichpleasedme。ItwasnotlongafterHiram’sdeparturethatIsankintoadoze。
WhenmyeyesopenedIknewIhadbeenawakenedbysomething,butIcouldnottellwhat。Ilistened。Cubbywasasquietasamouse,andhisveryquietandthealertwayheheldhisearsgavemeavaguealarm。Hehadheardsomething。Ithoughtoftheoldhunter’sreturn,yetthisdidnotreassureme。
Allatoncethevoicesofmenmademesitupwithaviolentstart。Whocouldtheybe?HadHirammetaranger?Ibegantoshakealittle,andwasabouttocreeptothedoorwhenIheardtheclinkofstirrupsandsoftthudofhoofs。Thenfollowedmorevoices,andlastaloudvolleyofcurses。
\"Herky—Jerky!\"Igasped,andlookedaboutwildly。
Ihadnotimetodashoutofthedoor。Iwascaughtinatrap,andIfeltcoldandsick。SuddenlyIcaughtsightoftheladderleadingtotheloft。
LikeamonkeyIranup,andcrawledasnoiselesslyaspossibleuponthericketyflooringofdrypinebranches。ThenIlaytherequivering。
XIV。APRISONER
ItchancedthatasIlayonmysidemyeyecaughtagleamoflightthroughalittleraggedholeinthemattingofpinebranches。Partoftheinteriorofthecabin,thedoorway,andsomespaceoutsidewereplainlyvisible。Thethudofhorseshadgivenplacetosnorts,andthencameafloppingofsaddlesandpacksontheground。\"Anywaterhyar?\"askedagruffvoiceI
recognizedasBill’s。\"Springrightthar,\"repliedavoiceIknewtobeBud’s。
\"Youoneryoldcayuse,standstill!\"
FromthatIgatheredHerkywastakingthesaddleoffhishorse。
\"Here,Leslie,I’lluntieyou——ifyou’llpromisenottobolt。\"
ThatvoicewasBuell’s。Iwouldhaveknownitamongathousand。AndDickwasstillaprisoner。
\"Bolt!IfyouletmelooseI’llbeatyourfatheadoff!\"repliedDick。\"Ha!
Alotyoucareaboutmysorewrists。You’reweakening,Buell,andyouknowit。You’vegotayellowstreak。\"
\"Shetup!\"saidHerky,inalow,sharptone。Asilencefollowed。\"Buell,lookhyarinthetrail。Tracks!Goin’inan’comin’out。\"
\"Howoldarethey?\"
\"I’llbetahosstheyain’tanhourold。\"
\"Somebody’susin’thecabin,eh?\"
Thementhenfelltowhispering,andIcouldnotunderstandwhatwassaid,butIfanciedtheywerethinkingonlyofme。Mymindworkedfast。BuellandhisfellowshadsurelynotrunacrossHiramBent。Hadtheoldhunterdesertedme?Ifloutedsuchathought。Itwasnexttoacertaintythathehadseenthelumbermen,andforreasonsbestknowntohimselfhadnotreturnedtothecabin。Buthewasouttheresomewhereamongthepines,andIdidnotthinkanyofthoseruffianswassafe。
ThenIheardstealthyfootstepsapproaching。SoonIsawtheMexicanslippingcautiouslytothedoor。Hepeepedwithin。Probablytheinteriorwasdarktohim,asithadbeentome。Hewasnotacoward,forhesteppedinside。
Atthatinstanttherewasaclinkingsound,arushandaroar,andablackmassappearedtohurlitselfupontheMexican。Hewentdownwithapiercingshriek。Thenbeganafearfulcommotion。Screamsandroarsmingledwiththenoiseofcombat。Isawawhirlingcloudofdustonthecabinfloor。ThecubhadjumpedontheMexican。WhatanunmercifulbeatinghewasgivingthatGreaser!Icouldhaveyelledoutinmyglee。Ihadtobitemytonguetokeepfromurgingonmydocilelittlepetbear。Greasersurelythoughthehadfalleninwithhisevilspirit,forhehowledtothesaintstosavehim。
Herky—Jerkywastheonlyoneofhiscompanionsbraveenoughtostarttohelphim。
\"Thecabin’sfullofb’ars!\"heyelled。
Athiscrythebearleapedoutofthecloudofdust,andshotacrossthethresholdlikeblacklightning。InhisonslaughtuponGreaserhehadbrokenhishalter。Herky—Jerkystooddirectlyinhispath。Icaughtonlyaglimpse,butitservedtoshowthatHerkywasbadlyscared。ThecubdoveatHerky,underhim,straightbetweenhislegslikeagreasedpig,and,spillinghimalloverthetrail,spedonoutofsight。Herkyraisedhimself,andthenhesatthere,redasalobster,andbawledcurseswhilehemadehishugerevolverspurtflameonflame。
Icouldnotseetheothermen,buttheiruproariousmirthcouldhavebeenheardhalfamileaway。WhenitdawneduponHerky,hewassofuriousthathespatatthemlikeanangrycatandclickedhisemptyrevolver。
ThenGreaserlurchedoutofthedoor。Igotaglimpseofhim,and,forawonder,wasactuallysorryforhim。Helookedasifhehadbeenthroughathreshing—machine。
\"Haw!haw!Ho!ho!\"roaredthemerrylumbermen。
Thentheytroopedintothecabin。Buellheadedtheline,andHerky,sullenlyreloadinghisrevolver,camelast。Atfirsttheygropedaroundinthedimlight,stumblingovereverything。Partofthetimetheywereinthelightspacenearthedoor,andtherestIcouldnotseethem。Iscarcelydaredtobreathe。Ifeltacreepychill,andmyeyesightgrewdim。
\"Whodoesthisstuffbelongto,anyhow?\"Buellwassaying。\"An’whatwasthetbeardoin’inhere?\"
\"Hewasropedup——hyar’sthehitch,\"answeredBud。
\"An’hyar’sarifle——Winchester——ain’tbeenusedmuch。Buell,it’sthetkid’s!\"
Iheardrapidfootstepsandsmotheredexclamations。
\"Takeitfromme,you’reright!\"ejaculatedBuell。\"Wejestmissedhim。
Herky,themtracksoutthere?Somebody’swiththisboy——who?\"
\"It’sJimWilliams,\"putinDickLeslie,cool—voicedandthreatening。
ThelittlestillnessthatfollowedhiswordswasbrokenbyBuell。
\"Naw!’Twasn’tWilliams。Youcan’tbluffthisbunch,Leslie。ByyourownwordsWilliamsislookin’forus,an’ifhe’slookin’foranybodyIknowhe’slookin’for’em。See!\"
\"Buell,thekid’sfellinwitholdBent,theb’arhunter,\"saidBill。\"Thetaccountsferthecub。Bent’sallusgotcubs,an’kittens,an’sich。An’
I’lltellyou,heain’tnobetterfriendofournthanJimWilliams。\"
\"I’daboutassoontackleWilliamsasBent,\"putinBud。
Buellshookhisfist。\"Whatluckthekidhas!ButI’llgethim,takeitfromme!Now,what’sbesttodo?\"
\"Buell,thegame’sgoingagainstyou,\"saidDickLeslie。\"Thepenitentiaryiswhereyou’llfinish。You’dbetterletmeloose。OldBentwillfindJimWilliams,andthenyoufellowswillbeupagainstit。There’sgoingtobesomebodykilled。Thebestthingforyoutodoistoletmegoandthencutoutyourself。\"
Buellbreathedasheavilyasaporpoise,andhisfootstepspoundedhard。
\"Leslie,I’mseein’thisout——understand?WhenBudrodedowntothemillan’
toldmethekidhadgotawayImadeupmymindtoketchhiman’shethismouth——onewayoranother。An’I’lldoit。Takethetfromme!\"
\"Bah!\"sneeredDick。\"You’resca’redintothemiddleofnextweekrightnow……Besides,ifyoudoketchKenitwon’tdoyouanygood—now!\"
\"What?\"
ButDickshutuplikeaclam,andnotanotherwordcouldbegottenfromhim。Buellfumedandstamped。
\"Bud,you’retheonlyoneinthisbunchofloggerheadsthethasanysense。
Whatd’yousay?\"
\"Quietdownan’waithere,\"repliedBud。\"MebbeoldBentdidn’thearthemshotsofHerky’s。Hemaycomeback。Let’swaitawhile,an’,ifhedoesn’tcome,putHerkyonthetrail。\"
\"Good!Greaser,gooutan’hidethehosses——drivethemupthecanyon。\"
TheMexicanshuffledout,andalltheotherssettleddowntoquiet。Iheardsomeofthemlighttheirpipes。Budleanedagainsttheleftofthedoor,Buellsatontheotherside,andbeyondthemIsawasmuchofHerkyashisboots。Iknewhimbyhisbow—legs。
Thestillnessthatsetinbegantobehardonme’。WhenthemenweremovingaboutandtalkingIhadbeensointerestedthatmypredicamentdidnotoccupymymind。Butnow,withthoseruffianswaitingsilentlybelow,Iwasbesetwithathousandfears。TheveryconsciousnessthatImustbequietmadeitalmostimpossible。ThenIbecameawarethatmyonepositioncrampedmyarmandside。Amillionpricklingneedleswereatmyelbow。Abandasofsteeltightenedaboutmybreast。Igrewhotandcold,andtrembled。Iknewtheslightestmovewouldbefatal,soIbentallmymindtolyingquietasastone。
Greasercamelimpingbackintothecabin,andfoundaseatwithoutanyonespeaking。ItwassostillthatIheardthesilkenrustleofpaperasherolledacigarette。Momentsthatseemedlongasyearspassed,withmymusclesclampedasinavise。IfonlyIhadlaindownuponmyback!ButthereIwas,halfraisedonmyelbow,inamostawkwardanduncomfortableposition。Itriednottomindthetinglinginmyarm,buttothinkofHiram,ofJim,ofmymustang。ButpresentlyIcouldnotthinkofanythingexceptthecertaintythatIwouldsoonlosecontrolofmymusclesandfallover。
Thetinglingchangedtoapainfulvibration,andperspirationstungmyface。Thestrainbecameunbearable。Allofasuddensomethingseemedtobreakwithinme,andmymusclesbegantorippleandshake。Ihadnopowertostopit。Morethanthat,thefeelingwassoterriblethatIknewIwouldwelcomediscoveryasarelief。
\"Sh—s—s—h!\"whisperedsomeonebelow。
Iturnedmyeyesdowntothepeep—hole。Budhadmovedoversquarelyintothelightofthedoor。Hewasbendingoversomething。Thenheextendedhishand,backuppermost,towardBuell。Onthebackofthatbroadbrownhandwerepiecesofleafandbitsofpine—needles。Thetremblingofmybodyhadshakenthesefromthebrushonthericketyloft。Morethanthat,intheyellowbarofsunlightwhichstreamedinatthedoortherefloatedparticlesofdust。
Budsilentlylookedupward。Therewasagleaminhisblackeyes,andhismouthwasagape。Buell’sgazefollowedBud’s,andhisfacegrewcurious,intent,thenfixedinacunning,boldsmileofsatisfaction。Herosetohisfeet。
\"Comedownouto’thet!\"heordered,harshly。\"Comedown!\"
Thesoundofhisvoicestilledmytrembling。Ididnotmovenorbreathe。I
sawBuellloomuphugelyandBudslowlyrise。Herky—Jerky’sbootssuddenlystoodonend,andIknewthenhehadalsorisen。ThesilencewhichfollowedBuell’sorderwassodensethatitoppressedme。
\"Comedown!\"repeatedBuell。
Therewasnohintofdoubtinhisdeepvoice,butacoldcertaintyandabrutalnote。Ihadfearedthemanbefore,butthatgavemenewterror。
\"Bud,climbtheladder,\"commandedBuell。
\"Iain’tstuckonthetjob,\"rejoinedBud。
Ashisheavybootsthumpedontheladdertheyjarredthewholecabin。Myverydesperationfilledmewiththefiercenessofacorneredanimal。I
caughtsightofashortbranchofthethicknessofaman’sarm,and,graspingit,Islowlyraisedmyself。WhenBud’sblack,roundheadappearedabovetheloftIhititwithallmymight。
Budbawledlikeawoundedanimal,andfelltothegroundwiththenoiseofaloadofbricks。Throughmypeep—holeIsawhimwrithing,withbothhandspressedtohishead。Then,lyingflatonhisback,hewhippedouthisrevolver。Isawtheredspurt,thepuffofsmoke。Bang!
Abulletzippedthroughthebrush,andtoreaholethroughtheroof。
Bang!Bang!
Ifeltahot,tearingpaininmyarm。
\"Stop,youblackidiot!\"yelledBuell。HekickedtherevolveroutofBud’shand。\"Whatd’youmeanbythet?\"
InthemomentarysilencethatfollowedIlistenedintently,evenwhileI
heldtightlytomyarm。Fromitsfeelingmyarmseemedtobeshotoff,butitwasonlyaflesh—wound。AfterthefirstinstantofshockIwasnotscared。Butbloodflowedfast。Warm,oily,slippery,itrandowninsidemyshirtsleeveanddrippedoffmyfingers。
\"Bud,\"hoarselyspokeupBill,breakingthestillness,\"mebbeyoukilledhim!\"
Buellcoughed,asifchoking。
\"What’sthet?\"Foroncehisdeepvoicewaspitchedlow。\"Listen。\"
Drip!drip!drip!Itwaslikethesoundofwaterdrippingfromaleakinaroof。Itwasdirectlyunderme,and,quickasthought,Iknewthesoundwasmadebymyowndrippingblood。
\"Findthet,somebody,\"orderedBuell。
Drip!drip!drip!
Oneofthemensteppednoisily。
\"Hyaritis——thar,\"saidBill。\"Lookonmyhand……Blood!Iknowedit。
Budgothim,allright。\"
Therewasasuddenrustlingsuchasmightcomefromaquick,strainedmovement。
\"Buell,\"criedDickLeslie。inpiercingtones,\"Heavenhelpyoumurderingthievesifthatboy’skilled!I’llseeyoustrunguprightinthisforest。
Ken,speak!Speak!\"
Itseemedthen,inmypainandbitterness,thatIwouldratherletBuellthinkmedead。Dick’svoicewentstraighttomyheart,butImadenoanswer。
\"Leslie,Ididn’tkillhim,an’Ididn’torderit,\"saidBuell,inavoicestrangelyshrunkandshaken。\"Imeantnoharmtothelad……Goup,Bud,an’gethim。\"
Budmadenomove,nordidGreaserwhenhewasordered。\"Goup,somebody,an’seewhat’supthere!\"shoutedBuell。\"Strikesmeyoumightgoyourself,\"saidBill,coolly。
WithagrowlBuellmountedtheladder。WhenhisgreatshockheadhoveinsightIwasseizedbyamaddesiretogivehimalittleofhisownmedicine。WithbothhandsIliftedthepieceofpinebranchandbroughtitdownwitheveryounceofstrengthinme。
LikeapistolitcrackedonBuell’sheadandsnappedintobits。Thelumbermangaveasmotheredgroan,thenclattereddowntheladderandrolledonthefloor。Therehelayquiet。
\"All—fireddead——thetkid——now,ain’the?\"saidBud,sarcastically。\"How’dyoulikethetcrackontheknob?You’llneedalargersizehat,mebbe。
Herky—Jerky,yougoupan’seewhat’supthere。\"
\"I’veapictureofmyselfgoin’,\"repliedHerky,withoutmoving。