CHAPTER XIX
WATCHING A BEAR BAIT
"Hello, Hugh," said Jack, as they walked up to the lodge; "we foundthe moose."
"Well, you've done pretty well," said Hugh. "I thought maybe he'dgo so far, even if you'd hurt him bad, that you wouldn't find himat all."
"No," said Jack, "we found him easily enough. He didn't go very farbeyond where I had to leave the trail last night. But it is just asyou said; the meat is spoiled; he's no good to eat.
"His horns are not very big, but Joe suggested that we should comeback here and get our horses and a pack horse, and go up and bringin the head and horns."
"Why, sure," said Hugh; "why not do that? I expect you'd like totake it home, seeing it's the first moose you ever killed."
"Yes," said Jack, "I should like it."
"Now, I'll tell you what you do," said Hugh. "Do you remember how Icut off that sheep's head?"
"Why, yes," said Jack, "I remember that you cut it off close downto the shoulders, but I don't remember just how you cut the skin."
"Well," said Hugh, "look here now; I'll show you," and sitting downon the ground he drew a little diagram with the stick, explainingto Jack that he should stick the knife into the moose's headimmediately behind the horns, split the skin down on the nape ofthe neck to the shoulders, then make a cut at right angles to thefirst one, running down outside of one shoulder, across under thechest, and up outside of the other shoulder. Then, by skinningaway from the top of the neck, the hide of the whole neck could bedrawn forward; the head cut from the neck where the first vertebraejoins the skull; and afterward, by cutting the skin from wherethe neck-cut began between the horns, out on each side to eachhorn and around its base, the whole skin of head and neck could betaken off, and the skull cleaned, with the horns attached to it.Afterwards in mounting, the skin could again be stretched over theskull, so that the head could be hung on the wall.
It did not take the boys long to saddle up their riding horses anda pack animal, and when they were on horseback the distance to themoose was not great. When they reached it they tied their horses,and walked up to the carcass to begin the skinning. But before theydid anything, Joe said, "Hold on, Jack! look a-here! There's beena bear here since we've been gone;" and sure enough, the tracks ofa middle-sized bear were seen about the carcass, and the hole madeby Joe's knife was wet around the edges, as if some animal had beenlicking it. Jack looked all around, but of course nothing livingwas to be seen now.
"Now, I tell you what," said Joe; "let's get this head off, andgo away, and I wouldn't be surprised if we could come back hereto-morrow and get a shot at a bear. You know, Hugh said weweren't going to move for two or three days, and if that's so, whyshouldn't we come back here and watch."
"It isn't a very good place for that, is it?" said Jack, "rightin here among the timber; we'd have to be close to the moose, andlikely enough a bear would see us or smell us, before we could seeit."
"That's so," said Joe; "it's a pretty poor place, but before we gowe'll look around and see if we can find any way to hide." The boyswere somewhat excited at this prospect, and at once set to work toskin the moose head. A long slit was made down through the thickhair on the nape of the neck, back to the shoulders, and then across cut down to the moose's chest; then both the boys, gettinghold of the head, tried to turn it over, but they were not strongenough to do that. Then they tried to lift the moose's head up inthe air, in order to get under it, and to make the cross cut onthe other side close to the ground. They did not succeed very wellin this either; but finally, after raising the head as high asthey could, Joe got a stick and propped it in this position. Then,getting a longer stick they tugged, strained, and kept raisingthe head higher and higher, until finally the fore part of theshoulder was pretty well exposed. They made the cross cut, but forsix or eight inches it was quite ragged. However, they succeeded incompleting the cut, and then worked more rapidly, and before verylong had the skin off the whole neck and turned so far toward thehead that the back of the skull could be seen. Then, Joe cuttingdown close to the skull so as to sever the ligament of the neck,they twisted the skull, disjointed the neck, and after that it wasa mere matter of cutting through the flesh. After the head had beencut off it was pretty heavy, much more than one boy could lift,besides being unwieldy and hard to handle.
They dragged the head a little way from the moose, and then stoodlooking at it, for both were a little tired.
"Now, look here, Jack," said Joe, "what's the use of packing allthis stuff back to camp; why not finish the job here, and take theskull back pretty clean?"
"Yes," said Jack, "it's a pretty long job, but we've got to do iteither here or at the camp, and we might as well do it here. Iguess we'd better use our jackknives to cut around these horns."Sitting down on the ground they did the work of making the crosscutto the horns, and then they cut round the horns, close up againstthe burr. The hide was thick and tough, and the blades of theknives were small; but, on the other hand, the knives were sharp,and before very long they had completed this. Then they both workedat skinning the hide down over the head, cutting through thegristle of the ears, and going very carefully about the eyes; andat last, after midday, the skin of the head was free from the skulland was dragged off to one side.
"There," said Joe, "that's a good job, and now we'll cut off allthe meat we can from the skull, and pack the horse, and go back tocamp. I'm getting hungry. I don't believe this tongue is spoiled;we may as well take that with us." The remaining work was notlong, and lashing the skull on the pack saddle, they set out forcamp.
Hugh hailed them, when they got in, with an expression of surprise,saying, "Why, you done the whole job, didn't you? I supposed I'dhave an afternoon's work over that head, skinning it out, andcleaning the skull."
"Well," said Jack, "Joe suggested that we should not make two bitesof the cherry, so we did the work right there. But, say Hugh, abear had been 'round that moose, between the time we left it andthe time we got back, and Joe says maybe we can get a shot at him.What do you think?"
"Why, I don't know," said Hugh; "maybe you could. What sort of aplace is it to wait?"
"Not very good," said Jack; "it's right in the thick timber, andthere's no hill, and no hiding-place anywhere nearby. We lookedwhen we were coming away. But I tell you what I think, Hugh; Ibelieve we could go back there, and get up into a tree, and watchfrom there; then the bear won't be likely to smell us, and maybewe'll be able to get a good shot."
"Yes, that's so," said Hugh; "but there's one bad thing aboutgetting up into a tree: it's awful noisy, and if you move much, thebear's pretty sure to hear you. When did you calculate to watch?"
"Why, I don't know," said Jack; "we were going to ask you. Itought to be either early in the morning or late in the evening, Isuppose. That's the time bears come out, isn't it?"
"Yes," said Hugh, "that's the time; but in here where they're notmuch hunted, I suppose maybe they'd feed any time of day.
"I tell you what I believe I'd do," he continued, "we're goingto stop here for a day or two more and see if that horse's footwill get better, and suppose you don't do anything now until alongabout the middle of the day to-morrow; then you can ride up thereand see if the bears have been working at the carcass, and if theyhave, why you can wait there until about dark, and if you don'tget a shot you can go back again the next day, right early in themorning."
"Well, let's do that then," said Jack.
"Now," said Hugh, "take your moose-head down to the creek and putit in there to soak and drain, and then this afternoon you can takethe brains out and sort of scrape the skull, and after it soaksthere for a couple of days it'll be in good shape to dry right up."The next day, a little before noon, they set out to inspect thebait. As they started out to catch their horses, Hugh told them todrive in old Baldy as well, and that he would ride up there withthem and see how the prospect looked.
When they reached the moose they found a great hole torn in itsside, and from the tracks around about, it seeme
d that severalbears had been feeding there. The day, though bright at sunrise,had now become overcast and dull, and the air felt like rain orsnow. Hugh surveyed the ground about the moose with some care, andfinally said to the boys:
"I don't see anything for you to do except to climb up into acouple of these trees; and if I were you I'd watch this afternoon,and if you don't get a shot, quit pretty early, at least before itgets plumb dark, come back to camp, and then try it again early inthe morning. I'll take your horses down here a half a mile, and tiethem in that little open park that we passed, where they can feed,but where they'll be far enough away so as not to scare the game.If you don't get a shot, try to get to your horses before it'sright dark, and then you can get back to camp all right."
Hugh waited until the boys had climbed the two trees, one a littledistance to the north of the moose, the other about as far to thesouth of the carcass. He told them to cut away all the twigs thatwere close to them and would rustle if they moved, and advised themthat they must keep absolutely still, "for" he said, "there is noanimal so shy as a bear, and none that's more careful in comingup to a bait. If a bear comes, don't try to shoot at it too soon,let it come on until it gets right close to you; then shoot ascarefully as you know how, and try to kill it dead, for I don'twant you to wound a bear, and then go following it through thethick timber and the brush; that's dangerous, and I think foolish."
The hours, after Hugh departed, seemed pretty long to the boysas they sat on their perches. They could not see each other, andof course could not talk. Both were occupied in looking over theground that they could cover with their eyes, and in listening forany noise. The weather grew colder, and toward the middle of theafternoon flakes of snow began to sift down through the tree-tops.Then they stopped; then began again. There was snow enough to seeas it fell, but not enough to show upon the ground.
Joe was glad when he saw the snow, for he believed it would bringthe bears out soon; but Jack did not know this, and thought onlyof the discomfort of the cold. A little breeze was blowing from thesouth, and that gave Joe the unpleasant benefit of the odor of thedecaying moose meat; but he thought little of that, and sat thereand watched. For a long time nothing was seen. Then suddenly, frombehind a dead log, fifty or sixty yards from Joe, he saw the headof a black bear rise, and the animal stood there screwing its nosein all directions and snuffing the wind. It remained there for along time, and then the head drew back and disappeared. Joe's riflewas loaded and cocked. He had fixed himself in as good a positionas possible for shooting, and he waited. For a long time nothinghappened, and then suddenly the bear appeared, stepping out frombehind a tree quite close to him,--not more than thirty or fortyyards away--and stood there, looking at first toward the moose, andthen slowly turning its head and looking in all directions. It wasa black bear, not very large, and yet not by any means a cub. Joethought the best thing he could do was to shoot it. It stood nearlyfacing him, and when it turned its head away to the right, he aimedfor its chest, just to the right of the bear's left shoulder, andpulled the trigger. The animal gave half a dozen bounds, and thencommenced to jump into the air and come down again, and to rollover, and turn somersaults; while Joe kept his eyes rolling in alldirections, to see whether there were any others.
The bear's position had been such that Jack had not seen it at all.He was cramped and stiff, cold, tired and hungry by this time; butat the shot he forgot all his discomforts, and sat watching tosee what should happen. For a moment he saw and heard nothing, andthen, off to his left, he heard a stick break, once or twice, as ifsome heavy animal were stepping on it, and then all became silentagain. Presently Joe appeared, walking by the moose, and came andstood under the tree in which Jack sat. "Well, Jack," he said,"I've got a bear, and I don't suppose any more will come now. Wemay as well go over and skin it, and go back to camp."
"How big is it, Joe?" said Jack.
"Well," said Joe, "it's small. It looked pretty big to me when Ifirst saw it looking out through the trees; but when I shot it, andsaw it lying on the ground, it didn't seem very big."
Jack scrambled down from the tree, and the two boys went overto the bear. It was not large, but, on the other hand, it wasbetter than no bear at all, and its coat was quite good: not long,but full, and black and glossy, and quite worth having. Jackcongratulated Joe, and they set to work to skin the bear.
Joe's shot had been a good one; he had hit exactly in the rightplace, and the ball had cut the great artery of the heart, and thelungs, so that the bear died almost at once.
The work of skinning the animal took some little time, but it wasnot nearly dark when Joe, with the skin on his back, and Jack, withone of the hams in his hand, started to go to the horses. The otherham they hung up in a tree. The horses took them speedily to thecamp, and they greatly enjoyed their dinner that night. Both boyswere tired and were glad to turn in at an early hour.
The next day the whole camp arose late. Hugh reported that thehorse's leg was better, and that he thought they might as well moveon the next day. "Now," he said, "do you boys want to go up andwatch for bear again to-night?"
"I don't know, Hugh," said Jack; "what do you think the chancesare? Will any of them come back after one being killed last night?"
"Yes," said Hugh, "I think maybe they might. Of course you can'ttell. Maybe they might come back now, or perhaps they'll leave thebait alone for three or four nights, and then come back."
"Well," said Jack, "I'd like to get a shot; but it's paying prettydear for it to have to sit up in a tree for five or six hours, andpretty nearly freeze to death. I like to be doing something. Iwouldn't mind trailing a bear or a deer or a sheep for half a day,but this sitting on a thin branch in the cold, and waiting for abear to come to you, isn't what it's cracked up to be."
"No," said Hugh, "you're right there. I don't think much of it.However, we might get on our horses about midday, and go up and seewhether any bears came last night after you left. The carcass'llshow that plain enough."
When they looked at the carcass they found that a number ofbears had evidently been there; and not only had they eaten aconsiderable part of the moose, but they had also partly eaten thebear that Joe had killed the night before.
"Well," said Hugh, "this seems to be a regular bear playground!I've a good mind to come up here myself to-night, and sit in oneof these trees, and see if I can't get a shot. It's quite a whilesince I've killed a bear, and I sort of need a bear-skin to spreadon my bed. What do you say boys, shall we all watch here to-night?"
"Yes, Hugh, let's do that; that'll be great fun,--to see who getsthe shot, or whether any bears come."
"Well," said Hugh, "I'm no way certain they'll come; they're awfulkeen-nosed, and if they should smell that we've been around hereduring the day, they won't show themselves. Now, I'll tell you whatwe might do: suppose we go off down to where we're going to leavethe horses, and stop there for two or three hours,--nothing willcome here very much before sundown,--and then about three o'clockwe'll come up here, and you two boys can ride your horses rightunder the trees you're going to get into, and just climb into themwithout touching the ground at all; and I'll take the horses backand come up afoot, and get up into my tree. In that way there'll beonly one set of tracks for the bears to smell."
Accordingly, about three o'clock they rode back; the boys climbedfrom their horses directly into the tree; and then Hugh, taking thebridle reins, led the horses back and picketed them in the park.Then he returned, and choosing a tree about half way between theboys, clambered up into it, and they all sat there, patient andstill.
The boys watched and waited as carefully as the day before; butnothing happened until, just before sundown, the heavy report ofHugh's gun rang out on the silent air, and a moment later theyheard the branches crackle as he clambered down from the tree."All right, boys," he called out: "come along."
The boys descended from their branches, and joining Hugh, theyall went forward a little way, to a small open spot where a brownbear lay stretched on the grou
nd, with the blood flowing from itsnostrils.
"This fellow," said Hugh, "has been fussing 'round in sight forabout twenty minutes. He wanted to come awful bad, and yet he wasawful scared to. I thought one time that maybe he was going aroundJack's way, and so I didn't bother with him; but presently he cameback and commenced to go right toward the bait, making little runsforward and then little runs backward, but always getting closer,until finally I made up my mind that I'd have to kill him. Now,Joe," Hugh continued, "you help me skin him, and, Jack, you go andfetch the horses."
Not long after Jack had returned, the skin was off the bear, rolledup and tied behind Hugh's saddle, and they returned to camp.