CHAPTER VIII
BLUFF MISSES SOMETHING
"Look out there!" shouted one of the cowboys.
"Run, boys!" exclaimed Frank as he started to turn his pony around so asto get beyond reach of the rapidly advancing bear.
He had just succeeded in doing this, and even started to gallop away,when he saw a sight that almost froze the blood in his veins.
Jerry had, of course, intended doing a similar vamoosing stunt. Ithappened, however, that his horse was more frightened than those of theothers. When he jerked at the bridle the beast whirled with such avicious fling that the boy, totally unprepared for such a move, andunable to get the grip with his knees that a cowboy always secures, wenttoppling over his head.
Frank, looking over his shoulder as he was borne rapidly away by his ownalarmed steed, saw Jerry scramble to his knees. At any rate, he thoughtwith relief, the other had escaped a broken neck in his ugly tumble.
Still, with that enraged grizzly bearing swiftly down upon him, inspite of the one rope that still held taut, the position of poor Jerrywas not the most pleasant in the world.
Frank's first and only inspiration was to turn his horse around and rushback to the assistance of his chum. It never occurred to him that beingwithout his own rifle, he would only be adding to the trouble byoffering Bruin a double sacrifice.
His pony, however, offered serious objections to facing that roaringhurricane of a beast. Despite Frank's most strenuous efforts, he couldonly twist the animal's head around, but not a step would the frightenedbeast approach. Dancing there, he snorted his distrust and alarm.
But Frank plucked up new hope. He at the same time saw something elsethat gave another aspect to the case. Jerry was not to be left alone tohis fate.
"Hurrah for Mr. Mabie!"
In his excitement Frank let out this shout. It was caused by seeing theranchman leap from the back of his own horse and rapidly run back towardthe spot where Jerry crouched, apparently too winded to get to his feetand try flight.
Now Mr. Mabie had reached the boy, and the barrier of his heavyrepeating rifle would be between Jerry and the grizzly. Frank expectedto see the stockman drop on one knee and take aim at the bear, now veryclose to the two dismounted ones. Nothing of the kind occurred. On thecontrary, he saw Mr. Mabie thrust the rifle into the hands of the boy,who seemed to seize it eagerly.
Jerry had declined to shoot the grizzly when the beast was held by acordon of riatas. The conditions were now considerably altered, for thehuge animal was rapidly bearing down upon him, with the fire ofdestruction in his small, blazing eyes. It was a case of bringing hisadvance to a speedy stop, or suffering the consequences.
Frank's heart thrilled with pride as he saw his chum throw the rifle upto his shoulder and glance along the glistening barrel. Mr. Mabie hadshown wonderful confidence in the boy's nerve to thus place the solutionof the problem in Jerry's hands.
Holding his breath, as he still tugged at the mouth of his refractorymount, Frank saw the smoke shoot out from the muzzle of the gun as thereport sounded.
"Whoop! He's down!" shrieked a cowboy curveting near by.
"Take care! He's coming again, Jerry!" shouted Frank.
The bear had rolled over at the shot, but being one of the toughestanimals in the world, he had immediately gained his feet again, and wasonce more advancing.
But Jerry knew what to do, even though he had never met quarry of thiscaliber before. He pumped another cartridge into the chamber,deliberately took aim, with apparently little show of excitement, andfired again.
Once more the grizzly stumbled and fell. When he tried to get up againhe did not seem equal to the effort.
Mr. Mabie was shaking the hand of the young Nimrod with greatenthusiasm. Perhaps he had purposely tried the nerve of Jerry, to findout what manner of boys these were, of whom old Jesse Wilcox spoke sowell.
Now that the monster was dead, the ponies consented to draw somewhatcloser; but the boys had to dismount, and hand over their steeds to acowman when they wished to reach the spot where the victim of the huntlay.
Will, with his camera, was, of course, in evidence.
"I wouldn't have missed that for a cookie!" he declared. "And if thatfrightened horse had only allowed me to take a crack at the time the oldhermit toppled over, I'd be ever so much happier."
Frank, remembering how the other had been forced to clasp his armsaround the neck of his frantic steed at the time, smiled at theimpossibility of such a thing coming about.
"Give us a grip of your paw, old fellow!" cried Bluff, rushing up,brimming over with enthusiasm and admiration. "I'll sure never forgetthat sight! And he did the Rod, Gun and Camera Club proud when he usedyour weapon, didn't he, Mr. Mabie?"
"I knew he would," was the quiet remark of the stockman; and Frankunderstood that the other had been forming a favorable opinion of thechums from the minute he saw them come off the train.
"Would you like that skin to remember the event by, Jerry?" Mr. Mabieasked, a little later, while they were watching the cowboys remove thehide.
"It would give my mother a cold chill to see it, if she ever heard thestory; but then we have a clubroom over our boathouse, and I guess itwould look nice there. So, since you are so kind as to offer it, I'llsay yes, Mr. Mabie."
"Well, I should remark that we'd never forgive you if you let thatchance slip. It looks as though our big-game trip might pan outsomething worth while, after all," observed Bluff.
"You do everything on a big scale out here in the Northwest, sir. Thefields of wheat are tremendous, the distances immense, the mountainshigher than any in the East, by long odds; and the game the biggest inthe whole country," remarked Frank.
"And in this bracing air we hope to raise the finest crop of boys in theworld. But let's return to the house, lads. It's time we had a bite, forI'm sure your appetites must be sharpened by this little adventure."
The ranchman cast many a secret admiring glance toward Jerry as theyrode home. He fell back with Frank on purpose to speak his mind, whilethe other three galloped on ahead, laughing and shouting, as boys off ona vacation always do.
"I like that chap, Jerry," he remarked earnestly. "He's a lad after myown heart. What he said about not wanting to shoot defenceless game gaveme a wrench, for we cherish notions along that same line up here in thewilderness. Of course, the grizzly, as I said, does not come under thatlaw, for he's too terrible a customer to be given much rope."
"Sometimes he takes his own rope," laughed Frank, secretly delighted tohear this honest praise of his chum.
"Which is quite true for you, Frank. That cowboy will not soon get overthe humiliation of having his lariat give way. He feels very sore aboutit now," remarked the stockman, casting a side look toward where acouple of his herders were wrangling over something as they brought upthe rear.
"I'm so glad you gave Jerry that chance. He's the most enthusiasticsportsman I ever met, and so honorable in his dealings with the wearersof fin, fur and feather. No danger of the woods ever being depopulatedwhile he's around," Frank said, with his customary generous view ofanything that concerned his chums.
"It was what you may call an inspiration. My first idea, of course, wasto cover the boy and face the bear. I did not doubt my own ability todown him, but somehow I was tempted to take chances with the lad. I'mglad now I did it. He stood the racket like a veteran. I'd be a happyman if I'd only been left a boy like your chum for my own."
The ranchman spurred on ahead at this, and Frank made no effort toovertake him, for he felt sure he had seen tears glistening in theother's eyes, and could appreciate his feelings, for the stockman's onlychild, a boy, at that, lay with the mother in the ranch cemetery.
Breakfast was ready for them, and what a glorious meal the boys made!Just as Mr. Mabie had said, they proved as hungry as wolves. That clearmountain air seemed to tone them up after their long railway journey,and Frank laughingly declared their host had better send away for a newstock of provisions if he expected to keep them
satisfied.
Bluff was the first to leave the table. Frank had seen him eatinghurriedly toward the close of the meal. He knew without being told whatailed his comrade.
"He'll never be happy until he gets it, fellows!" sang out Jerry, who,of course, had also noticed the hurried departure of the anxious one.
They could hear Bluff tossing things around hurriedly in the other room,where they expected to bunk, and to which the big trunk had been finallycarried.
Ten minutes later, Frank, remembering that a great silence had fallenover the neighboring apartment, stole softly to the door and looked in.He saw a picture of abject dejection there--Bluff sitting on the floor,in the midst of piles of garments, clothes bags, and all manner ofthings, frowning and shaking his head, as if he had lost his lastfriend.
"What's the matter?" demanded Frank, drawing nearer.
"Matter enough," answered the disconsolate one, sighing heavily. "Why,after all my trouble and everything, I've gone and left that knife athome, and now my whole trip is going to be spoiled for me. I just seemedto feel that something was bound to happen to upset my calculations. Imight as well go back, that's what," said Bluff, gritting his teeth inhis spasm of disgust.