CHAPTER XXXI.
A FIGHT WITH GRIZZLIES.
Frank found Old Rocks a hard man to follow, and the guide was amazed bythe endurance of the boy.
It was long past midday when Rocks sat down on a fallen tree, and filledhis pipe.
"Say," he drawled, surveying his companion, "you beat all ther tenderfutkids I've ever seen, dog my cats ef you don't!"
"How is that?" asked Frank, who was glad to have a few moments' respite."What do you mean?"
"Wa-al, I hev bin expectin' all along as how you'd peg out, but I'mderned ef you don't seem fresh as a daisy now!"
"Oh, I am good for a few miles more," said the boy, smiling.
Rocks nodded.
"Thet's whatever. You've got buckram; but I know yer ain't got sand.Tenderfeet never has any."
"I don't suppose you have ever found any exceptions?"
"Derned few! Now I've got somethin' ter say."
"Say it."
"It's plain these yar red varmints are makin' a run fer it, kinderthinkin' they might be follered. It's liable ter be several days aforethey're overtook."
"Well?"
"Wa-al, we ain't fitted fer such a tramp."
"What's that?" cried the boy in dismay. "You do not think of giving itup, do you?"
"Nary bit; but I kinder 'lowed you might feel thet way."
"I guess not!"
"Stiddy! Don't be too quick. Wait till I tells yer whut yer may expect."
"Go ahead."
"Jest ez long ez I'm on this yar trail I shell keep up ther pace I hevbin makin' this day su fur."
"That is good."
"Huah! Think yer kin stan' it, eh? Wa-al, thet ain't all."
"Give us the rest of it."
"It'll be a case o' sleepin' in ther open, 'throut kiver, eatin' w'enyer kin, an' gittin' anything we kin shoot an' havin' it hafe cooked urnot cooked at all, an' lots o' other inconveniences thet'll make yerlong fer ther comforts o' home."
"And you fancy I'll not be able to stand it?"
"I kinder 'lowed it'd be hard on a tender kid like you be."
Frank had flung himself on the ground, but now he arose and faced theguide, speaking firmly and calmly:
"Rocks, you heard the child say she'd be my fairy, you saw that she tookto me, I sung her to sleep, and she clung to me. I will tell you nowthat I am ready to go through anything for Fairy Fay. She is in terribledanger. If she is not rescued, her fate is frightful to contemplate. Ishall never rest till she is saved! I want to go along with you; but Ishall continue the hunt alone, if you will not have me."
The old fellow grunted sourly, and puffed away at the black pipe forsome moments. At last, he got upon his feet and held out his hand toFrank.
"Put ther thar!" he cried. "You talk all right; we'll see how yer panout. You kin go erlong."
They shook hands, and Frank was well satisfied.
"You stay right yere by ther trail," directed the guide. "I'm goin' overyon a piece ter see ef thar is some mud geysers down thar. It's beensome time sence I wuz in this yar part o' ther park, an' I wants ter gitmy bearin's. I'll be back yere directly, an' you kin be restin'meantime."
Frank felt like demurring, but he believed it best to do exactly as theguide directed, and so he nodded and sat down again, while Old Rocksstrode away and soon disappeared.
Nearly thirty minutes passed, and then, of a sudden, the boy wasstartled by the report of a rifle, the sound of the shot coming from thedirection in which the guide had disappeared.
"I wonder what it can mean?" speculated Frank.
He was uneasy. He knew the guide might have fired at some kind of smallgame, but for some reason he fancied such was not the case.
Was Old Rocks in trouble?
Catching up his rifle, Frank started on a run in the direction taken bythe guide.
Down into the valley he went, his eyes wide open. Suddenly, a shortdistance before him, there was a hissing, rushing roar, and a column ofmud and water shot into the air.
There were the mud geysers Old Rocks had started out to look for.
Toward the geyser hurried Frank, still looking for his companion.
Before the column of mud and water had ceased shooting into the air,Frank came upon a startling spectacle.
Not far from the geysers Old Rocks was engaged in a hand-to-handencounter with a huge grizzly bear!
On the ground near by lay the body of another bear, telling how accuratehad been the guide's first shot.
The guide was using his bowie knife, which was already stained withblood to the hilt.
Frank did not hesitate about rushing straight toward the battling manand beast, and Old Rocks saw him coming.
"Keerful, boy!" panted the man; "keerful with thet thar rifle! Don'tshoot yere, fer yer might bore me."
"I won't hit you," promised Frank. "I will shoot the bear."
"You don't know whar ter put yer lead, an' yer might fire a dozenbullets inter this varmint 'thout finishin' him."
It was evident that the old man was badly winded.
Thus far he had avoided the bear's hug, but he could not hold out long.Barely had he uttered the last words when, with a sudden blow of onepaw, the grizzly struck him to the ground.
Frank rushed in, seeing the monster settle on all fours over Old Rocks.
"I'll fix him!" grated the boy, as he thrust the muzzle of his riflealmost against bruin's head and pulled the trigger.
For the first time on record the weapon missed fire.
With a fierce growl, the bear whirled and knocked the rifle out ofFrank's grasp.
In a dazed manner, Old Rocks saw everything.
"Ther kid's a goner!" thought the guide. "We're both done fer!"
Out Frank snapped a revolver, and then, taking a step toward the bear,he fired five bullets into the creature in marvelously rapid succession.
A roar came from the bear's throat, and the beast reared on its hindfeet, its jaws dripping blood and foam, and rushed upon the dauntlessboy.
Frank flung aside the revolver, just as Rocks struggled to a sittingposture, thickly crying:
"Run, kid! run fer yer life!"
"Not much!" came through Frank's set teeth. "Think I'd run and leave youto the bear! I guess not!"
"Dog my cats!" murmured the guide, weakly.
The bear, dripping blood from its many wounds, still fierce as a ragingtiger, came at Frank. The boy dodged, managed to avoid the rush, andgave the beast a wicked stab with the knife.
"Dog my cats!" murmured the dazed guide once more.
Frank Merriwell's face bore a look of fearless determination, and he wasready for the bear to charge again.
It came.
Frank tried to repeat the trick, slipped a bit, saw he could not escape,and then met the formidable beast.
"Now he is a goner!" gurgled Old Rocks, faintly.
With outstretched paws the bear closed in.
Frank saw he was not going to be able to escape the hug, and he placedthe haft of the knife against his own breast, with the point directedtoward the bear.
The grizzly folded Frank in his embrace, crushing the lad against hisshaggy breast, and, in this way, the creature drove the knife home toits own heart.
Uttering a great groan, it relaxed its hold, dropped on all fours, hungits head, and then sunk in a heap upon the ground, dying.
Frank felt as if his ribs had been crushed, and he was covered withblood, but he had conquered.
Old Rocks was so dazed that he sat on the ground, staring at the"tenderfoot kid," and faintly gasping:
"Dog my cats!"
Frank flung the knife to the ground, and then sat down, panting, in adesperate endeavor to get a full breath.
Old Rocks got up very slowly, stood looking at the dead bear somemoments, and then looked at the boy.
"This beats me!" he grunted. "Whoever heard o' a tenderfut doin' sech athing! An' he didn't seem ter be scart a tall!"
Then he came nearer Frank, at whom he still stared.
br /> "It ain't a mistake, none whatever. This yar kid done it, and he done itin great shape! Say, youngster."
"What?"
"I wants ter 'polergize."
"What for?"
"Fer sayin' tenderfeet never has sand. I'll take it all back. You've gotsand enough fer anything, you hev! Do you know whut you done? Wa-al, agrizzly is harder ter kill then a hull tribe o' Injuns! I wuz dead luckyter kill t'other one by a chance shot, an' I'd never done it ef I hedn'tbeen so nigh ther muzzle o' my rifle wuz right up ag'in' ther varmint.You worked an old hunter's trick on him. Thet fust jab you gave therwhelp kinder spruced him up, an' he wuz ready ter crush ther stuffin'outer yer. By holdin' ther knife ez yer did, yer made him kill hisself.Guv us yer hand! I'll swar by you through thick and thin!"
So they shook hands again.