It took two trips of the dinghy to land the three hunters. Of course, Joe had only gone along to see the fun, for he had no gun.
Still, he was capable of advancing some good suggestions, calculated to be of value to them while lying in ambush for the expected bear. It was to be expected, for instance, that Bruin would make his appearance from the dense thicket beyond the bee tree, so the boys hid themselves in a semicircle, with the broken honey storehouse in plain view.
A fire had been started at a little distance, for otherwise they must have been in absolute darkness. Joe said a little thing like that would not keep the bear from coming after he had gotten a good whiff of the powerful odor of sweetness that filled the air.
The bees had been hard at work carrying a portion of their store to some new hive, but there were gallons of it still there. Everything was smeared with the sticky substance, and Frank felt sure that if a bear existed within miles of the spot that odor would be a magnet to draw the animal straight to the spot.
Talking was positively prohibited, and all the boys could do was to sit as still as the hovering mosquitoes would allow, and watch.
Once or twice, Frank thought he heard a slight rustling somewhere near.
It was not what a lumbering bear would be apt to make, however, and he concluded that in all probability it must be caused by prowling "c.o.o.ns.
For the third time he felt positive that his ear had caught a sound, as of a stealthy movement. To his surprise, it seemed to come from the tree under which he had taken up his station. So he naturally bent his head back in the effort to locate the little animal that must be curiously observing him.
A thrill pa.s.sed through his frame as he first of all caught sight of two yellow eyes that glared at him not more than ten feet above his head.
Then he could make out a dark body, about five feet in length, and with something moving back and forth at its extreme end.
Frank caught his breath, and his hands clutched the gun he held. He did not need any one to tell him that he was gazing up at a panther, crouching overhead, and possibly getting ready to leap down upon him at any second!
CHAPTER XXI
A STRENUOUS NIGHT
Fortunately, Frank was a quick-witted boy.
He had his gun held in such a position that it required only a simple movement to swing it upward. To aim, under the conditions, was out of the question. He had to depend entirely upon guesswork, or what might be called intuition.
Imagine the astonishment of the others, crouching close by, when a flash of flame pierced the darkness, and the crash of Frank"s gun was instantly followed by a fierce scream in which both pain and fury were mingled!
Frank had no sooner fired than he threw himself backward. Knowing something about the habits of these animals, he understood that the panther would make its leap, no matter how seriously it might be wounded.
Frank did not claim to be an acrobat, but he certainly made a record for himself in the line of back tumbling.
"Who shot?" shouted Jerry in amazement.
"Where"s the bear?" came from Joe, equally amazed and confused.
Frank had by this time managed to scramble to his feet. He was somewhat scratched, and would perhaps feel a bit sore from his tremendous effort, but his heart beat high with antic.i.p.ation when he realized that all was still in the quarter where he had been snugly lying.
"Stir up the fire, Jerry, and fetch a torch here!" he called, holding himself in readiness for another shot, if such should be needed.
"You just bet I will!" cried the other, bounding forward.
Frank saw him give the smoldering fire a kick that started it into new life. Then, bending over, he s.n.a.t.c.hed a brand and came running back.
"Where are you, Frank? What under the sun happened? Not hurt, are you?"
was what he was singing out, his voice trembling with eagerness and anxiety.
"Everything all right, Jerry. Come this way. Now poke the blaze over yonder."
Jerry gave a shout.
"Something"s moving! It"s kicking its last, by the great horn spoon!
Frank"s got his bear--no, I"ll be hanged if it is! A panther, Joe, a panther!"
He stood there like a statue, holding the torch and staring at the sleek gray form stretched out under the tree, and which was, in fact, giving the very last kick, as he had declared.
Frank laughed, a little hysterically, it may be a.s.sumed, for the strain on his nerves had been tremendous.
"Unexpected visitor, eh, Jerry? Didn"t send out an invitation to this slippery gentleman, did we? But he insisted on joining the family circle, and I just _had_ to ask him in," he said, trying to steady his voice, while, unseen by Jerry, his hands were shaking as he clutched his gun.
"Tell me about that, will you! Oh, yes, he came, all right. That was a warm invitation he couldn"t resist. But how did you see him, Frank? Where was the sly old cat? Say! he must have jumped for you, I guess, for that was just where you were squatting!"
Frank shuddered as he saw that this was true. Only for his quick action in vacating his position he must have been torn by the poisonous claws of the dying beast.
"He was sitting just above my head, on that limb there," he remarked quietly.
"Talk to me about your cute ones, what could equal that? Do you think the old slinker was there all the time?" demanded Jerry, shaking his head.
"Oh, no. That is out of the question. Our coming must have alarmed him if he had been so close by. I imagine he crept through the trees while we lay here waiting, like so many mummies."
"I say, Frank, do panthers like honey?" demanded the other.
"Well, now, you"ve got me there. Never having had any experience in that line, I"m in the dark. How about it, Joe?" laughed Frank.
"I never heard of one that did. S"pect he was snoopin" around to see what we was a-doin" here. Then there was the smell of the blood from the deer, you know," explained the Florida boy wisely.
"Why, of course! That"s it. But I say, Frank, do we cut out the bear hunt now?"
"That"s for you to say. I"ve had my shot, but if you"re satisfied to stay, why, count on me to keep you company."
"I had my heart set on bear steak. The only thing is, will old Bruin come now, after all this rumpus?" said Jerry disconsolately.
"If half that I"ve heard about his liking for wild honey is true, a dozen rackets like that couldn"t keep him away. Joe, you know. Tell us if that isn"t so?" asked Frank.
"Oh, he"ll come, all right, if he smells that honey," returned the boy confidently.
"That settles it, then. We stay a while, at any rate," declared Frank.
Jerry was secretly pleased. Perhaps he did have a little streak of envy in his composition, for it galled him to have others succeed in his beloved sport while fortune denied him a fair share of the honors. But, taken all in all, Jerry was square enough, and would quickly change places with a companion in a boat when it appeared that all the fish were lying at his end.
Frank moved his position a little. Then they settled down to wait. Of course, every one of the three boys cast rather frequent and apprehensive glances up into the branches overhead. Sometimes these panthers hunted in pairs, and how were they to tell but what the mate to Frank"s victim might be even then watching for a chance to leap down upon them?
An hour pa.s.sed. Then Jerry heard a grunting sound somewhere close by. It was accompanied by a rustling in the bushes.