"Yes, and there comes Hindenburg bucking the line," added Hippy.
The bear, followed by the dog, burst into sight just at the moment that Hindenburg nipped the bear"s hind leg. Henry whirled, made a pa.s.s at the pup, and missed him. The bear then charged Hindenburg with mouth wide open, and the battle was on.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The Bear Advanced, Sparring Like a Prize Fighter.]
"Call off yer dog," shouted Joe.
"Call off your bear," answered Hippy Wingate.
The guide tried to do so and failed. Hippy"s efforts to draw Hindenburg from the fray met with no better success.
It was at this juncture that the bear scored first blood. With a well placed blow of his paw he knocked the pup into the middle of the road, and the lead mule, at whose heels Hindenburg had fallen, kicked him the rest of the way into the bushes.
"Sick "im, Henry!" yelled Joe.
"No you don"t," shouted Hippy as the bear ambled across the road in pursuit of the injured pup.
"I"ll learn that fresh pup to bite my bear," flung back the forest woman.
"And I"ll kill that brute of a bear if he gets the pup," retorted Hippy, galloping his pony to the point at which the two animals had disappeared, and leaping from Ginger"s back, regardless of the risk of losing his mount.
Hippy plunged into the bushes to the rescue of the bull pup. The dog"s yelps indicated that he was in further trouble, which Hippy discovered to be the fact when he came in sight of the combatants. Henry was boxing the unfortunate dog with both fore paws. Hindenburg, from whose mouth and nose the blood was running, was staggering about weakly, but trying his utmost to get a hold and hang on.
"Let go, Henry, you brute!" commanded Hippy.
Henry, however, instead of letting go, ambled at the dog with wide open mouth, thoroughly angered and determined to finish with his teeth the battle he had begun with his paws.
Lieutenant Wingate sprang into the fray and delivered a kick on the side of the bear"s head with all the strength he could throw into the blow.
Henry rose in his might, rearing on hind legs, and advanced on Hippy, snarling and showing his teeth, and sparring like a prize fighter.
"That"s your game, is it?" jeered the Overland Rider.
_Whack!_
Hippy planted a blow with his fist full on Henry"s nose, the most tender part of a bear"s body. Henry reeled, backed away, followed by Lieutenant Wingate who sparred skillfully, frequently planting other blows on the tender nose of his adversary.
Boxing with a bear was a new experience for him, but his success thus far made Hippy careless, and in a particularly savage blow he threw his body too far forward, missed the nose, and was obliged to spring towards the animal to save himself from falling.
Henry, despite his rage and aching nose, did not miss his opportunity.
Both powerful front legs closed about Hippy Wingate like a flash, and the man and the bear went down together.
CHAPTER VI
CAMPING UNDER THE GIANT PINES
Tom Gray heard the two crash into the bushes, as he was on his way to the scene followed by Joe Shafto and part of the Overland outfit.
As he went down Hippy had the presence of mind to thrust both hands under the bear"s chin and press upward with all his strength, though, in that tight embrace, it was difficult to do anything except gasp for breath and wonder how long it would be before he heard the snap of his ribs breaking in.
With the bear"s breath hot on his face, Lieutenant Wingate afterwards remembered wondering why it was that Henry did not bite when the biting was good. Never having bitten a human being and having no recollection, in all probability, of any a.s.sociates outside of human beings the bear may not have been inclined to bite.
On the other hand, the bear"s temper appeared to be rising, for his growls were growing more menacing with the seconds.
"Hindenburg! Sick "im!" gasped Hippy.
He heard the pup, weak from loss of blood, give a feeble yelp, then a snarl, and in the next second Hindenburg had fastened his teeth in Henry"s neck.
A heavy paw swept Hindenburg away and left him quivering and moaning.
The respite had been sufficient, however, to enable Lieutenant Wingate to roll out of the clutches of the beast, but his freedom was brief.
Hippy had hardly sprung to his feet when the bear rose and s.n.a.t.c.hed him again.
It was at this juncture that Tom and the guide arrived, just in time to see Hippy Wingate deliver another blow squarely on Henry"s all too tender nose.
"Henry!" yelled the woman. "Let go, Henry!"
Henry plainly was in no mood to let go, and it was evident that it was now his intention to bite and bite hard, for the snarling mouth was wide open when Joe Shafto sprang to the rescue. Joe carried a hardwood club, which she evidently carried as a handy weapon.
"Now will ye mind me!" she shrieked, bringing the club down with a mighty whack on the bridge of Henry"s head. "Take that, and that, and that!" she added, delivering three more resounding whacks.
Henry uttered a howl, released his hold on Hippy Wingate and rolled over on his back, feet in the air, where he lay whining and plainly begging for mercy like a child that was being punished.
Hippy had quickly rolled out of the way and jumped up, his face b.l.o.o.d.y, and his clothes showing rents where Henry"s claws had raked them. Hippy ran to Hindenburg whom he found whimpering and licking his wounds.
"You poor fish! Why did you do it?" rebuked Lieutenant Wingate.
"Git up!" commanded Joe Shafto, poking Henry in the ribs with her stick.
"Come with me and behave yerself, or I"ll wallop ye till ye won"t be able to smell venison for a year of Sundays." The guide fastened on one of Henry"s ears and started for the trail, Henry ambling along meekly at her side. "Lieutenant, keep that pup away from my Henry," ordered Joe.
"Joe, keep that bear away from my pup," retorted Hippy, carrying Hindenburg in his arms and gently depositing him in the saddle bag.
"Oh, Hippy, what happened to you?" cried Emma.
"I"ve been communing with nature," he answered briefly.
"Darlin", let me wipe the blood from your face," crooned Nora. "Did the naughty bear scratch oo bootiful face?"
The Overlanders shouted and Hippy, very red of face, sprang into his saddle with such a jolt that Ginger gave him a lively minute of bucking in which poor Hindenburg got a shaking up that made him whimper.
The forest woman with her mules had already started and was now some distance in the lead, with her pet bear shuffling along at the edge of the road abreast of the leading mule.
"Ye git nothin" to eat to-day, Henry. I didn"t bring ye up to brawl and to fit with yaller dogs, ye lazy lout," scolded Joe.
When the party halted for its noon rest and luncheon, Henry sat morosely at one side of their camping place, now and then licking his chops, while Hindenburg, performing the same service for his wounds, occupied a position on the opposite side of the camp. Neither animal appeared to be aware of the other"s existence.