George and Victor instinctively3 did what any two persons with loaded guns in their hands will do when assailed4 by a furious wild beast. They brought their weapons to a level and blazed away straight into his face, but they might as well have sent their bullets against a solid rock for all the good it accomplished5 in the way of checking the rush of the monster, who emitted his hog-like grunts6 and swept down upon them like a whirlwind.
Without any thought of the wisdom of what they were doing, the brothers separated, their line of flight being almost at right angles from the beginning. Since it was impossible for the beast to pursue both at the same time, he had to select his victim. His choice fell upon Victor, but it is not to be supposed that he recognized him as the original offender7 in this business.
The gait of a grizzly bear, or for that matter of any of his species, is awkward when he is running at full speed. He has a grotesque8 way of doubling and humping his body, which seems fatal to high speed. Nevertheless, he can get forward at an astonishing rate, faster than a man can run at his best. If it should ever fall to your lot to meet a grizzly in his western haunts, don’t fancy you can escape him simply by running. Keep out of his way from the first.
George Shelton ran and tumbled and scrambled9 over the rough ground for a considerable distance before he glanced behind him. Then he discovered he was not pursued. Panting from his exertions12, he halted and began reloading his gun with a haste which made the work doubly as long as it would have lasted on any other occasion. As soon as his weapon was ready he hurried back to the help of his brother, who was having a perilous13 time indeed. As he ran he called as loud as he could for Deerfoot and Mul-tal-la, for the crisis could not have been more serious.
Less than fifty feet separated Victor Shelton from the grizzly when the race for life opened. For a little way the ground was favorable, and the lad ran fully14 as fast as when fleeing from the wounded antelope15. A glance over his shoulder showed the vast hulk doubling and lumbering16 along and gaining rapidly. In a straightaway race the fugitive17 was sure to be overtaken within a few minutes.
Something must be done without an instant’s delay. There was no time to reload his old-fashioned gun, nor could he descry18 any refuge. A sapling appeared a little to his right, but he dared not resort to that. He believed the bear would jerk it up by the roots to get at him, and he was probably right in his supposition. So he kept on.
The situation was so critical that Victor Shelton did a desperate thing. Throwing away the rifle which impeded19 his flight, he turned to the left and headed, still on a dead run, for the edge of a cliff. Of the depth of the ravine beyond he had not the faintest idea. It might be a few feet or it might be a hundred. He had no time to find out. Over he must go, and without checking his flight in the least, he dashed to the edge and made the leap.
Providentially the distance was barely a score of feet, and instead of alighting upon a rock almost in his line of flight, he landed on the comparatively soft earth. He was severely20 shaken, but in his fright he heeded22 it not. He fell forward on his hands and knees, scrambled up instantly, and was off again. He had dropped into a gorge23 only a few yards in width, which wound indefinitely to the right and left. There was no way of knowing the better line of flight, and he turned to the right.
He had gone only a few paces when he looked back to see what had become of the grizzly. He had stopped on the margin24 of the bluff25 and was looking down at the terrified youngster, who was striving so frantically26 to get beyond his reach. For a moment Victor believed the brute27 was about to follow him; but instead of doing that he lumbered28, growling29 and grunting30, along the side of the ravine, easily keeping pace with the fugitive, despite the fact that the surface was more broken than in the bottom of the gorge.
Still, so long as the relative positions of the grizzly and fugitive remained the same, no harm could come to the latter. But a change speedily took place.
Victor had not gone far when to his dismay he noticed that the ground over which he was running began to slope upward. If this continued he must soon rise to the level of the bear, who acted as if he saw how the situation favored him. The plum which for the moment was out of his reach must soon pass into his maws.
The fugitive slackened his speed, wondering what he could do. He glanced at the opposite side of the ravine in search of a way of climbing out and thus interposing the chasm31 between him and his enemy. But the wall was perpendicular32 and comparatively smooth. If he kept on he would soon be brought face to face with the beast. He must turn back, with no certainty that the same hopeless condition would not confront him in that direction.
Just then a shout fell upon his ear. George Shelton appeared on the edge of the cliff within a hundred feet of the bear. A flash and report followed. He had fired at their terrible enemy and the bullet could not miss; but the grizzly seemed as unaware33 of it as of the former pin pricks34. Giving no heed21 to the shouts, the report and the slight sting, he saw only the lad below him, upon whom he had centered his wrath35.
Victor had halted, glanced up, and was in the act of turning back over his own trail when the brute took advantage of the decreased depth of the gorge, leaped the short distance necessary to land him on the bottom, not more than eight or ten feet below, and tumbling, rolling, grunting, scrambling36 and flinging the pebbles37 and dirt in every direction, renewed his direct pursuit of the fugitive, with less distance than before separating them.
All that Victor could do was to run, and if ever a youngster did that it was he. Unquestionably he must have exceeded the pace he showed when fleeing from the wounded antelope. And yet it did not equal that of the grizzly, who lumbered forward like a locomotive running down a panic-stricken dog between the rails.
Suddenly another form dropped lightly into the gorge, landing on his feet a few paces behind the fugitive, who, as he sped past, recognized Deerfoot the Shawanoe. Neither spoke38, for it was not necessary. The lad did not slacken his speed, which was at the highest tension, and the lithe39 young Indian, standing40 motionless, raised his rifle and fired at the grizzly when the space separating the two was barely a rod.
Deerfoot aimed at one of the eyes. He must have brought down the terrific brute had not the latter at the very instant of the discharge started to rise on his hind11 legs, as his species do when about to seize their victim. Despite the brief distance separating the two there was just enough deflection in the aim to save the eye. The bullet struck below that organ and did no more harm than the missiles that had preceded it.
But Deerfoot had interposed between his friend and the grizzly, and the fight was now between him and the furious Goliath. Never was a more thrilling sight witnessed than that upon which George Shelton gazed from the top of the ravine, and which his brother viewed from a safe point within the gorge.
The Shawanoe saw on the instant the cause of his failure to kill the bear. His gun was of no further use for the time, and, like Victor Shelton, he flung it aside. He did not doubt that he could outrun the grizzly in a fair race, and he would have fled had he thought Victor was beyond reach, but there was no saying whether the gorge was not in the nature of a blind alley41 or cage, from which the lad could not escape. To save him the Shawanoe held his ground.
At the instant of flinging aside his rifle Deerfoot drew his knife from his girdle and gripped it in his good left hand. The grizzly, as I have said, had risen on his haunches and reached out for his victim, but the space was too great. He sagged42 down on all fours, plunged44 a few paces forward, and reared again.
As he went up he must have caught the flash of flying black hair, of a fringed hunting shirt and a gleaming face. And as he saw all this like a phantom45 of his dull brain, he awoke to the fact that a dagger46 was driven with merciless force into his chest and withdrawn47 again, both movements being of lightning-like quickness.
He had seen that face almost against his nose, and the ponderous48 fore10 legs circled outward and swept together in a clasp that seemingly would have crushed a stone statue had it been caught by those mighty49 legs. But Deerfoot ducked with inimitable agility50 and leaped back a dozen feet.
If the grizzly had not felt the bullets he now felt that knife thrust, and all the tempestuous51 fury of his nature was roused. He dropped on all fours, charged forward, rose again and grasped at the audacious individual that had seriously wounded him and dared still to keep his place an arm’s length away.
Precisely52 that which took place before occurred again. As the shaggy monster reared, his head towering far above that of the Shawanoe, the latter bounded forward past the guard, as it may be called, and drove his dripping knife with fierce power into the massive hulk, dropping and slipping beyond grasp before the brute could touch him.
Deerfoot knew where to thrust to reach the seat of life, but the enormous size of the grizzly actually seemed to hold it beyond reach of an ordinary weapon, for after several blows the bear showed no evidence of harm beyond that caused by the crimson53 staining of his great hairy coat. Apparently54 he was as strong as ever.
George and Victor Shelton held their breath at times when viewing this remarkable55 combat. They knew that if the bear once seized the Shawanoe he would not live a minute. Repeatedly it looked as if the youth had been caught. Once when the huge fore leg showed outside the shoulder of Deerfoot and seemingly against it, and his head almost touched the snout of the bear, both lads uttered a wail56 of agony, and George, from his place at the top of the gorge, called to his brother below:
“Poor Deerfoot! He is gone!”
“So he is!” chuckled57 Victor; “gone from the claws of the grizzly.”
Just then Mul-tal-la hurried forward to the side of George Shelton. The youth suspected the truth. The Blackfoot, although ordinarily a brave man, had no wish for a close acquaintance with so overwhelming a specimen58 of “Old Ephraim,” as he is now often called. He knew too well the tremendous prowess of the monarch59 of the western solitudes60.
But Mul-tal-la could not stay in the back ground when his friend was in danger. Standing beside George Shelton, it took but a glance for him to understand the situation. Deerfoot was engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with the most formidable grizzly bear upon which the Blackfoot had ever looked or of which he had ever heard.
A minute told the Blackfoot further that the youth was certain to win, for, while he was continually thrusting and wounding his antagonist61, who must soon succumb62, the latter had not harmed a hair of the other’s head.
To such a struggle there could be but one issue, provided no accident intervened. But a mishap63 is always possible in the case of the bravest and most skilful64 combatant. Deerfoot might slip at a critical moment and be caught. Amazing as was his prowess, he was not infallible, and death was likely to seize him at any moment.
The action of the Blackfoot, therefore, was to be commended, when he knelt on one knee and aimed with the utmost care at the brute. While he and the youth were interlocked there was danger of injuring Deerfoot. Mul-tal-la, therefore, waited until a brief space separated the two and just before the Shawanoe made another bound forward.
Mul-tal-la held his aim for several minutes, for he was resolved not to make any mistake. He aimed just behind the ear, and when he pressed the trigger the little sphere of lead bored its way into a vital part, and then it was all over.
Deerfoot had struck again and leaped back when he heard the report of the rifle, saw the outreaching paws droop65, the snout dip, and the mountainous mass sag43 downwards66 and sideways, tumble over, and that was the end.
“Mul-tal-la only hastened the death of the bear”, remarked the Blackfoot when he and the boys clambered down into the ravine and stood beside the victor; “my brother had done the work, and the bear could not have lasted much longer.”
“Perhaps my brother is right,” replied the Shawanoe. Then he looked sternly at the lads and added:
“If my brothers do not heed the words of Deerfoot he will not be their friend.”
The boys succeeded after much talking in putting matters in such a light that Deerfoot finally agreed to soften67 his rebuke68, though they felt it hardly the less keenly.
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1
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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2
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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4
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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5
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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6
grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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7
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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8
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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9
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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10
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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12
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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14
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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15
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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17
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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18
descry
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| v.远远看到；发现；责备 | |
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19
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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21
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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22
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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24
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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25
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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26
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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28
lumbered
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| 砍伐（lumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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29
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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30
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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31
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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32
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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33
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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34
pricks
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| 刺痛( prick的名词复数 )； 刺孔； 刺痕； 植物的刺 | |
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35
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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36
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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37
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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38
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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39
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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40
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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41
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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42
sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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43
sag
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| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
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44
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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45
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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46
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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47
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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48
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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49
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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50
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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51
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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52
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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53
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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54
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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55
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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56
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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57
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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59
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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60
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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61
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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62
succumb
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| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
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63
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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64
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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65
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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66
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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67
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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68
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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