Rocky Mountain Boys; Or, Camping in the Big Game Country

by St. George Rathborne

  CHAPTER XVII

  WHEN MUSIC WAS PLAYED OUT

  Like a general arranging his plan of campaign, so Tom looked around him,up at the place where the den of the monster was believed to be, andthen in search of the available tree.

  "That's where we ought to perch," he remarked, pointing to a spot closeby. "We can each have a tree, which is really better than both gettingup in the same one; for while he's trying to get at me, you can pump himfull of lead. I'm only going to dip in here in a case of necessity,because I want you to say you got him all by yourself."

  "Up a tree," muttered Felix, disconsolately; but his chum paid noattention to the half protest, being satisfied that time would vindicatehis course.

  "Now, there are some trees up yonder, closer to the den, and they wouldanswer in a pinch, if we had to run for it," Tom went on to remark.

  "I don't just get on to what you mean," remarked the other; "I thoughtyou expected to climb up, fix a comfortable seat, and then ask him tostep out, and get acquainted."

  "But perhaps he won't come," retorted Tom. "You never can tell aboutthese grizzlies. Some days they're ready to just rush out, and tackle awhole army. Then again they have to be nearly dragged out, they're sofull, and so lazy. But once you get 'em stirred up, they're always thefiercest ever."

  "Do you expect to go up there, then, and have a look in?" asked Felix.

  "We might have to, if he won't come when we start to shouting," answeredthe other. "Let us only get a peek at his nose, so you can touch him up,and I give you my word there won't be any trouble about coaxing him.You'll hear a roar that'll just about make your blood run cold, and thenwe've got a fight on our hands you'll never forget."

  "But see here, Tom," urged Felix, "suppose, now, we go up there pokingaround and just when we're in a fix where we can't back down, the oldrascal heaves in sight down the trail. He'd have us in a lovely holenow, wouldn't he? Then I guess we'd have to make it a stand-up fight.Trees wouldn't figure in it that time, eh?"

  "But I'm dead sure he's in his den," declared the other.

  "How d'ye make that out, Tom?"

  "Why, see here, there's some dirt where he goes up and down. You can seethat he's just worn a path with the many times he's gone in and out.Now, look close, and I can show you several prints of his big feet, withthe claw marks sticking out ahead. And they all point _toward_ the den,showing that the most recent tracks are the ones he made going in! Getthat, Felix?"

  "Sure I do; and I must say it looks just as you figure it all out, Tom;and if that's the case, our old chap is at home, all right."

  "Then let's move up closer," said the other. "On the whole, I reckonwe'll use the trees that lie up yonder. We can see into his hole fromthere, which we couldn't do down here."

  They started to advance, slowly and cautiously, keeping a wary eye up inthe quarter where danger lay. But nothing occurred to give them a start,and presently the boys had reached a point where they could see that Tomhad hit the truth when he said the dark spot on the face of the cliff'sbase must be the entrance to the grizzly's den.

  "That's where he enters, is it?" said Felix, looking closely at theaperture that simply yawned darkly before them, with the rock hangingoverhead.

  "Yes," Tom replied; "when he heard us talking, that other time, he musthave walked over to this spot, where he could poke out his head, andlook down."

  "You don't see anything of him around, do you, Tom."

  "Never a sign," came the answer. "Chances are, he's fast asleep inside."

  "And now, do we pick out our trees, and squat in them waiting, for himto show up?"

  "We'll see if a little music will coax the old gentleman to show hisnose. Which tree do you want, Felix?"

  "Don't see much choice between them; but I suppose I might as well takethis, because it seems to be a trifle closer to the den than the other,"replied the boy from the East, indicating his selection.

  "But it's smaller in the bargain," complained Tom; "don't you thinkyou'd better let me have that one?"

  For answer the other commenced to climb; and as there was nothing elseto be done Tom followed suit. He knew that Felix had a stubborn streakin his make-up; and in fact he liked him all the better for it, because,without such spice, in Tom's mind, a fellow would be like cake withoutthe ginger in it, flat and commonplace.

  "Well, here we are," commented Felix, after he had fixed himselfcomfortably, and raised his rifle to his shoulder several times, asthough wishing to make certain that he could cover any advancing enemywithout difficulty.

  "How does it suit you?" asked Tom, grinning.

  "Oh! I've sat on worse seats, one of 'em a wasps' nest," replied Felix.

  "All right. Now, what'll we sing?" continued the other.

  "Sing?" echoed Felix.

  "Yes, to coax our grizzly to look out. Strike up any old song you like,and if I happen to know it, I'll join in; I can do that anyhow, becauseour audience ain't going to be particular. Fact is, the worst noise wemake, the more chance of his coming out in a bad temper."

  "All right, just as you say, Tom," laughed Felix, falling in with thehumor of the idea.

  Accordingly, Felix began to sing some school song, at the top of hisvoice, and his chum joined in with a pretty good bass. They went cleanthrough with a verse, and roared out the chorus in good style, althoughFelix was laughing so hard at the end that the effect was terrific.

  "If he can stand that howl, he's equal to anything," the latterremarked, as they finished; "see any signs of our friend yet, Tom?"

  "Sorry to say I don't," replied the other; "though that ought to havefetched him hurrying out, to see what lunatic asylum had broken loose.Hit up another verse, my boy, and give him all the variations you can."

  So they went through with it, yet there was not the first sign of thegrizzly.

  "That's queer," remarked Tom, when after they had completed their duet,not a single thing occurred; only the gaping mouth of the den mockedthem, with vacancy behind it.

  "Don't fancy the tune, perhaps?" suggested Felix, humorously.

  "That might be so. The old fellow might have his favorites. Can you givehim a change, Felix, something more solemn like. He must have a weakspot, if only we could hit on it. Strike up 'Plunged in a Gulf of DeepDespair,' or something that thrills you the same way."

  Accordingly, as he liked to be obliging, and the situation appealed tohis fine sense of humor, Felix did start a song that sounded very muchlike the "Dead March of Saul." Tom added all the touches possible; andhad anybody chanced to be in the vicinity he must have thought he hadstruck a camp meeting.

  "How's that?" asked Felix, when they had finished.

  "Simply elegant, take it from me. Queer that we haven't thought to singa little while we sat around the blazing fire nights," declared Tom.

  "Well, if we did much of that sort of thing, we'd soon go hungry, Tom."

  "Think so?" chuckled the other.

  "Every animal would take to its heels, and never come within miles ofour shack again," asserted Felix.

  "Strikes me it don't seem to have any effect on _one_ animal I know of,and that's our big friend in the hole yonder," Tom declared.

  "Perhaps after all he isn't at home," his chum remarked.

  "I'm dead sure he is, in spite of the fact that he doesn't show up,"said Tom.

  "Then grizzlies must be lacking in a musical education, that's all I cansay," Felix observed.

  "Sorry our efforts to amuse don't seem to be appreciated," Tom went onto observe with a grin. "Shall we try one more? Do you know, I thinksomething inspiring, like 'Dixie' for example, might stir him up.Suppose we give him that, and follow with the 'Star Spangled Banner.' Ifone of those don't bring results, why something else has got to be done,that's flat."

  Felix, entering into the spirit of the occasion, held his gun as thoughit were a guitar which he was picking; and presently, after a fewextravagant motions, broke out in the invigorating strains of the wellknown Southern song, that in times of old, when
the armies of the blueand the gray faced each other in battle array, did so much to inspirethe latter to plunge into the fray.

  But then, this was not a Southern bear; and at any rate, the musicproduced no result save to amuse the singers.

  "Well, I must say he's a hard customer to please," laughed Tom.

  "Or to make mad either," remarked Felix. "Why, after hearing how wemurdered that noble tune, I should think any self respecting bear wouldrush out, foaming at the mouth, and proceed to rub the assassins in thedust. He just goes on snoozing, and paying not the least attention.Shall we give it up, Tom?"

  "Well, let's try if he's got any patriotism about him. Give him onestanza of the other song. If that doesn't make him look out, then we'dbetter put our horns away, and quit singing. We're dead failures as adrawing card, seems to me."

  "You were right," observed Felix, a few minutes later, when, after theyhad done their level best rolling out the chorus, "And the Star SpangledBanner in triumph shall wave, o'er the land of the free and the home ofthe brave," not a single sign of an encore did they receive.

  "He don't seem to mind it in the least," remarked Tom, grimly. "Perhapsnow the old fellow may be stone deaf. I should think he must be, tostand for all that stuff, and never whimper once."

  "But that couldn't be," declared Felix, "because he must have heard ustalking that other time, when you saw him peeking over at us. I'm not sosure as you are that he's in just now."

  "Well, here goes to prove it," said Tom, as he made a move as thoughintending to leave his tree; but when Felix also started to vacate, theother called out: "No, I want you to stay just where you are, and keeptabs on the opening. If you see the first sign of anything moving, youwant to give me the tip right away, so I can run back to my tree."

  "But what are you going to do?" asked Felix anxiously, for if there wasanything dangerous to be accomplished, he did not see why Tom should notlet him share in the enterprise.

  "Just wait and see," was all the satisfaction he received. "And don'tforget you gave me your solemn word to obey. I'm the captain of the shipjust now, and the crew has got to do what the skipper says."

  "But if you're going to take chances, I'd like to be along, Tom."

  "Only one of us can do the little job; the other's business is to staythere, on guard, and give the alarm if anything shows up. And I'vedetailed you for that part of the programme, Felix."

  So, unwilling though he was, the other had to sit there, rifle in hand,and try to figure out just what Tom meant to do, in order to bring theinmate of the den to his front door, in case he was at home.

  The ranch boy had been keeping his eyes well about him, and knew justwhere he could find what he wanted. First of all, he crept up to thefrowning aperture, and looked in. Felix felt his heart in his throat, soto speak, with a sudden fear lest his chum take a reckless notion toenter that gaping hole; he was even on the point of calling out, andbegging Tom not to incur such unnecessary chances, when he saw the othermoving away again.

  Evidently, whatever reason Tom had for going there to the mouth of thecave, he was perfectly satisfied; for, as he caught the eye of his chum,he nodded, and made suggestive motions, as if to say that he was morethan ever convinced that the animal was somewhere inside, thoughpossibly at some distance back from the opening.

  Felix now watched him with deepest interest. If he had figured on howTom meant to draw the grizzly forth, he could not have struck on theright answer to the question, for suddenly he gave an exclamation, andsaid as if to himself:

  "Now, what's he gathering wood for? It sure doesn't seem like time forour noon lunch? And what would Tom want to camp here for in front of theplace? Now he's got an armful, and--why, of course, he's going to stackit up in front of that hole. That's the ticket, Tom; smoke the oldrascal out?" and he ended in calling aloud to his chum.

  The other only turned, and nodded his head as he made his way cautiouslyup to where the black hole gaped silently. Here he tossed his bundle ofsmall wood, and then went back for more.

  Felix had gripped his gun a little nervously while all this was goingon, ready to take up his part of the game should occasion arise; buteven when the brush from under the trees was thrown down, the inmate ofthe den did not deign to show himself, and offer any objection. Felixconcluded that there must be a mistake, and that the grizzly was awayfrom home; or else the old fellow was so gorged with a recent dinnerthat he just could not bother moving, because some foolish boys chose toplay pranks outside of his house.

  Now Tom had returned with a second armful of wood, which he piled up onthe other lot. Then Felix saw him stuffing a crumpled piece of newspaperunder the pyramid, and he understood why Tom had put that in his pocketso carefully before leaving the shack.

  Everything seemed ready, and he wished Tom would hurry, and come awayfrom his dangerous quarters, for the bear might rush out at any second.So Felix breathed a little easier when he saw the other moving off, andnoticed little spirals of blue smoke beginning to weave themselves inand out of the piled up brush and wood.