Darting to the side of the stump opposite to that of the bear, Herbert
would drop his head, and then instantly pop up again, like a
jack-in-the-box, to see what the brute was doing. The latter, it may be
said, kept things moving.
When Herbert lowered his head and yelled, his voice had a muffled sound,
as though it came from a distance, but when he shot up in sight, his
cries were clear and distinct.
The beast, although heavy and awkward of movement, managed to move
around the stump and to reverse his course with such facility that there
can be little doubt that he would have caught the lad, had not his
friends been so prompt to rush to his help.
Sam and Nick felt no disposition to laugh; indeed, they were so
impressed by the danger that, without exercising the care they would
have done any other time, and which they meant to show when talking of
the matter a few minutes before, they raised their guns together and
fired.
Although the aim was not as deliberate as it should have been, yet both
bullets struck the bear, though neither inflicted a mortal wound.
The brute stopped short in his circular pursuit, looked confusedly
about him for a second or two, and then made straight for the lads who
had fired upon him, just as the buck did in the case of Nick Ribsam.
"Scatter and climb a tree!" called out Nick, who saw they had no chance
to reload.
Now was the time for Herbert to recover, and reload his gun and to take
another shot at the brute, so as to draw him off from his hot pursuit of
the others; but the panic-stricken youth could not realize that the
danger was removed, and that his terrible foe was bestowing his
attention elsewhere.
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