It was the aim of Nick, therefore, to get away as speedily as possible;
and he exerted himself to the utmost, glancing continually over his
shoulder, as did the sorely frightened Nellie, who could not avoid a
half gasping scream as the waters closed about her to her chin.
But bruin seemed to be absorbed in the management of the raft, which, in
fact, was more than he could manage. It was all well enough, so long as
it only half supported him; but when he came to lift his huge bulk out
of the water the buoyancy of the float was overcome, and it went down.
The bear did not seem to understand it: a moment before he was resting
upon a mass of logs, and now, when he looked around, they were
invisible, and he was compelled to swim to support himself. He therefore
struck out with a loud splash, and had scarcely done so when the light
pine logs popped up again like so much cork.
The brute turned around and dropped both paws upon them. Finding they
kept afloat, he was too foolish to be content, but repeated his
performance, and, as a consequence, speedily found himself pawing the
water again to keep his own head above the surface.
This second failure seemed to disgust him, and he paid no further
attention to the logs, but headed for the shore, which was so close at
hand that he reached it in a minute or two.
This proceeding on the part of the bear, it will be understood, was of
great benefit to the brother and sister, who improved it to the utmost.
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