The young hunters now laid aside their guns, drew their knives, and skinned the cimmarons with the dexterity3 of practised “killers.” They then cut up the meat, so as the more conveniently to transport it to their camp. The skins they did not care for; so these were suffered to remain on the ground where they had been thrown.
As soon as the “mutton” was quartered, each shouldered a piece, and commenced carrying it toward the ravine, intending to return and bring the rest at another load or two. On reaching the point where the path came up on the table, they saw that it would be difficult for them to descend4 with their burdens—as it is more easy to climb a precipice5 than to get down one. Another plan suggested itself; and that was, to pitch the pieces down before them to the bottom of the ravine. This they could accomplish without difficulty. It would do the meat no harm—as they intended to cut it up for jerking—and they could easily wash out the dirt and gravel6 at the spring, when they had got it all there.
This plan was at once adopted; and, taking up piece by piece they flung them down the chasm7, and could see them lying among the rocks at the bottom. They then went back to the carcasses, took up fresh loads, and returned with them to the ravine.
As they stepped forward to fling them over, a sight met their eyes that caused each one to drop his load upon the spot. Down near the bottom of the ravine, and moving among the pieces of meat, was a hideous8 object—a huge and ill-shaped animal. Its great size—its long shaggy hair and greyish brown colour—but, above all, its fierce aspect, left no doubt upon the minds of our hunters as to what sort of animal it was. There was no mistaking the dreaded9 monster of the mountains—the grizzly bear!
It was nearly twice the size of the common bear; and it differed from the latter in other respects. Its ears were more erect10; its eyes, of burnt sienna colour, looked more fiery11 and glaring; its head and muzzle12 were broader—giving it an appearance of greater boldness and strength—and its long crescent-shaped claws, protruding13 from the shaggy covering of its feet, could be distinctly seen from the top of the cliff. With these it had just torn one of the pieces of mutton into smaller fragments, and was eagerly devouring15 it as the boys arrived on the height above. It was so busily engaged that it did not notice them.
All three, as we have said, dropped their loads on the ground; and, after pausing for a moment to look down, ran precipitately16 back for their guns. These they got hold of, and examined with care, looking to their caps and nipples. They had already loaded them, before commencing to skin the cimmarons. They now stole cautiously back to the ravine, and again looked over its edge. To their consternation17, not one bear, but three of these horrid18 animals were busy with the meat below! One was smaller than either of the others, and differed from them in colour. It was quite black; and might have passed for a full-grown bear of the black species. It was not that, however; but a large cub19, of which the other two were the parents.
All three were tearing away at the fresh meat, evidently in high glee, and not caring to consider whence such a windfall had come, so long as they were getting the benefit of it. They occasionally uttered loud snorts—as if to express their gratification—and at intervals20 the old male one growled21 as the cub interfered22 with his eating. The female, on the contrary, as she tore the mutton into fragments, kept placing the daintiest morsels24 before the snout of her black progeny25; and with playful strokes of her paw admonished26 it from time to time to fall to and eat. Sometimes they ate standing27 erect, and holding the meat between their fore-paws. At others they would place the piece upon a rock, and devour14 it at their leisure. Their jaws28 and claws were red with the blood—that still remained in the hastily-butchered meat—and this added to the ferocious29 aspect of the trio.
Our adventurers gazed down upon the scene with feelings of the utmost terror; and no wonder. They had heard such stories of the grizzly bear, as would have inspired stouter30 hearts than theirs with feelings of the kind. They knew that no hunter, when dismounted, ever dares to attack this animal; and, even when on horseback and armed with his trusty rifle, he will only venture to do so when the ground is open, and he is sure of escape through the fleetness of his horse. They knew that hunters, even when in large parties, are often chased by a single bear of this kind, after each of them had given him a shot; for as many as twenty bullets have been fired into the body of a grizzly bear without bringing him to the ground. All these facts came into the minds of our boy hunters at the moment. No wonder they felt fear.
They were in a most perilous31 situation. The bears occupied the ravine. There was no other path by which they could get down to their horses. They had gone almost quite round the butte in their morning search. They had seen that it was precipitous on all sides, and they had since observed that the space between the ravine and their point of starting was the same. How, then, were they to get back to camp? There was no way but one—down the ravine—and the bears would be certain to attack them should they attempt to descend that way.
The boys gazed at each other with terrified looks, repeating what they had to say in muttered whispers. All three well understood the danger of their position. Would the bears, after they had satisfied their hunger, go off and leave the ravine? No. The cave, which had been noticed, was their lair33, beyond a doubt. Even if they should enter it, what certainty was there that they would not rush out upon the boys as they were clambering down? If so, they would easily overcome the latter among the loose rocks and bushes. One or all would fall a sacrifice should they attempt to descend. Might the bears not go out upon the plain? Perhaps they might go out as far as the spring, either for water, or led by some other want. But even so, they would then be able to see the hunters coming down, and could easily overtake them before the latter could reach the camp, or their horses. The horses had been set loose, and were now a good distance off upon the prairie. There was but little consolation34 in this thought, and less in that which occurred to them next; which was that the fierce brutes35 might not be satisfied at what they had eaten, but might take it into their heads to clamber up to the summit in search of more! This apprehension37 was the most fearful of all—as the boys knew that there was no place upon the table where they could long conceal38 themselves; and to get down, if once discovered and pursued, would be utterly39 impossible.
Filled with these appalling40 thoughts, they crouched41 upon their hands and knees, now peering cautiously through the leaves of the aloes, and now whispering to each other the various plans of escape that suggested themselves. But all these plans ended in the faint hope that the bears might make a temporary absence from the ravine, and give them a chance to pass down. They could think of no other mode of extricating42 themselves from their dilemma43.
At times the idea occurred to Basil, of taking good aim, and firing at one or other of the huge animals. François applauded this idea, while Lucien as strongly opposed it. The latter argued that it would only irritate the bears, and bring them up at once—that there was no chance of killing44 any of them by a single bullet, unless it passed through the brain or the heart; and this, aiming, as they must do, over a cliff, was a very problematical affair. Even should one fall, the others would avenge45 the death of their comrade. A volley would not be likely to kill them all.
Lucien’s arguments prevailed; and the less prudent46 brothers gave up their idea of firing, and remained, silently gazing down as before.
They lay for nearly half-an-hour watching and waiting. The bears finished their meal, having devoured47 every bit of the meat. Were they satisfied? No. A shoulder of mutton is but a morsel23 to the ravenous48 appetite of a grizzly bear; and it seemed only to have set theirs upon edge. They guessed whence their lunch had come—from above—and there was the place to go in search of their dinner. They looked up. The boys suddenly drew back their heads, hiding them behind the leaves. It was too late. The bears had seen them, and the next moment were galloping49 upward!
The first thought of our hunters was to fly, and with this intention they all sprang to their feet. But Basil, with a feeling of rage, was determined50 to try whether a rifle-bullet might not serve as a check to the advancing enemy. He levelled down the pass, and fired. His brothers, seeing him do so, followed his example—François emptying both barrels that had been loaded with buck-shot. One of the bears—the cub it was—tumbled back down the ravine but after the volley the largest of all was seen clambering up, growling51 fiercely as he came. The hunters, not having time to reload, ran off over the table—scarcely knowing what direction to take.
When they had got half-way across it, all three stopped and looked back. The foremost bear was just rising above the cliff; and the next moment his long body was stretched out in pursuit of them. They had been in hopes that the pieces of meat might have attracted his attention, and drawn52 him aside. This did not happen. The meat was not directly upon his path; moreover, the animal appeared infuriated as he approached. He had been stung by the shot, and was bent53 upon revenge.
It was a terrible moment. The angry monster was within three hundred yards of them. In a few seconds he would be upon them, and one or the other must become his victim.
In crises like these, bold minds are the most apt to conceive expedients54. So it was with that of Basil. On other occasions he was rash and often imprudent, but in moments of extreme danger he became cool and collected, even more so than his philosophic55 brother, Lucien. A thought, which hitherto had strangely been overlooked both by himself and his brothers, now in the hour of peril32 came into his mind. He remembered that the grizzly bear is not a tree-climber! With the thought he shouted out,—
“To the trees! to the trees!” at the same time embracing one of the pines, and sprawling56 upwards57 as fast as he could climb.
Both Lucien and François imitated his example, each taking to the tree that grew nearest him—for the bear was not twenty paces behind them, and there was no time to pick and choose. Before the latter could come up, however, all three were perched in the pines, as high among the branches as they could safely get.
The bear galloped59 forward, and seeing where they had gone, ran from tree to tree, growling with rage and disappointment. He rose upon his hind-legs, and endeavoured to reach the lowermost branches with his fore-paws—as if he intended to draw himself up, or drag the tree down. One by one he assailed60 the pines, shaking them with violence, and with his claws making the bark fly off in large pieces. One in particular—that upon which François had taken refuge—being a small tree, vibrated so rapidly under the powerful efforts of the brute36, that its occupant was in danger of being dashed to the ground. But the fear of such an event caused François to put forth61 all his energies; and, encouraged by the shouts of Basil and Lucien, he held on manfully. The bear, after a while, seeing he could not shake him off, gave it up; and again tried his strength upon the trees that had been climbed by the others. This ended as before; except that the bear completely skinned off the bark as high as he could reach, and made such an impression upon the trunks with his teeth and claws, that the boys feared he might take it into his head to cut down the trees altogether. He could easily have accomplished62 this; but, fortunately for them, the grizzly bear is not gifted with reasoning faculties63, else their fate would have been a terrible one indeed.
When he found, at length, that he could neither drag down the trees, nor shake the boys out of them, he gave up the attempt; and for a time walked from one to the other, backwards64 and forwards, like a sentry65, now and then uttering a loud “sniff,” and at intervals growling fiercely. At length he stretched his huge body along the ground, and appeared to sleep!
What had become of the female and the cub? Had both fallen by the shots fired at them? Neither had as yet made their appearance on the summit—for the boys from their perch58 could see every inch of its surface. They were still in the ravine then; but whether dead or alive could not be determined. The dog Marengo, by a wise instinct, had not attacked the bear, but had escaped to one edge of the table, where he was crouching66 and cowering67 with fear, taking care not to put himself in the way of being seen.
The young hunters were now in a worse situation than ever. They dared not venture out of the trees without the certainty of dropping into the jaws of the monster; and they were suffering pain as they sat straddled across the slender branches of the pines. Besides, they were thirsty—thirsty to an extreme degree. They had taken no water with them in the morning. The sun was fiercely hot; and, even while engaged in skinning the big-horns, they had been complaining for want of water. They now began to suffer from thirst, more than from any other cause. Should the bear remain for any length of time, what would become of them? They must either drop down to be at once torn to pieces, or perish slowly where they sat. These were the alternatives!
Basil and the Grizzly Bear
They could make no change in their situation. Their guns were upon the ground, where in their haste they had flung them. They dared not descend to recover them. They were utterly helpless; and could do nothing but await the result. As if to tantalise them, they now beheld68 for the first time the objects of their far expedition—the animals they had so long desired to come up with—the buffaloes69! Away to the south-west a multitude of black bodies were seen upon the plain, like crowds of men in dark clothing. They were moving to and fro, now uniting in masses, and now separating like the squadrons of an irregular army. Miles of the green prairie were mottled by their huge dark forms, or hidden altogether from the view. They seemed to be moving northward71, along the level meadows that stretched between the butte and the Llano Estacado. This proved to be the case; for in a few minutes the headmost had pushed forward on a line with the butte; and our young hunters could distinguish the shaggy, lion-shaped bodies of the bulls that formed the vanguard of the “gang.” Under other circumstances this would have been a glad sight indeed. As it was, it only served to render their situation more intolerable. The buffaloes were passing to the north. Even should they themselves escape, after a time they might not be able to overtake them; and although they could distinguish none that were white—for the main body was a great way off—it was highly probable that in so large a herd72 one or more of these would be found.
As all three continued to watch the black multitudes rolling past, an exclamation73, or rather a shout of joy, was uttered by Basil. He was upon a tree that stood apart from the others and gave him an unobstructed view of the plains to the west.
“Voilà! yonder! yonder!” he cried: “see! in the middle of the drove! See, brothers!—it shines in the sun—white—white! Huzza!—huzza!”
Basil’s speech was scarcely coherent. Neither was that of his brothers, when they beheld the object to which he had alluded74. It could be nothing else, all believed, than the object of their long wild hunt—a white buffalo70. All three huzzaed loudly, and for a moment forgot the peril of their position. Their shouts started the grizzly monster below, who, lazily rising to his feet, once more commenced growling and shuffling75 about among the trees. The sight of him soon restored the hunters to a sense of the fearful realities that surrounded them.
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1
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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14
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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15
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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21
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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22
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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23
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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morsels
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| n.一口( morsel的名词复数 )；（尤指食物）小块，碎屑 | |
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progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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admonished
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| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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stouter
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| 粗壮的( stout的比较级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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40
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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41
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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extricating
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| v.使摆脱困难，脱身( extricate的现在分词 ) | |
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dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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44
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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45
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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46
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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47
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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48
ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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49
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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50
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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51
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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52
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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53
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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55
philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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56
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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57
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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61
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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63
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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64
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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66
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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68
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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69
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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70
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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71
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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72
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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73
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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74
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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