CHAPTER III
SETTING A BAD EXAMPLE
Up to this moment Raoul, carried away by the excitement of the hunt,had not stopped to consider what he should do if the bear happened toshow fight instead of running away, but now he found himself face toface with the creature, which was evidently in no very good humour athaving been so rudely disturbed while feasting on the grapes.
Growling fiercely the bear charged at Raoul, who darted off, shouting:
"Quick, Outan, quick! Come, help me!"
By dodging in and out among the trees he could keep out of the bear'sclutches; but this complete change of programme was not at all what hehad counted upon, and it was with great relief that presently he sawnot only Outan, but several other Indians coming to his aid. Shoutingand swinging their clubs they attracted the animal's attention fromRaoul, who was fast losing his breath, and from being the pursuer thebear now became the pursued.
He was wise enough to see that the odds were against him, and made offat a shambling gallop which the hunters found it difficult to keep upwith. Their object being to drive the bear towards the village theymust needs keep him going in that direction, and this they found noeasy task. It would almost seem as if he suspected their purpose, sohard did he try to go off at a tangent instead of straight ahead; andmore than once Raoul well-nigh despaired of their succeeding in theirobject, and regretted that he had not brought his musket with him. Butthe Indians were not to be fooled. The bear was too fine a specimen tolose, and they spared neither their lungs nor their muscles as theykept up the pursuit with unflagging zeal. It certainly was a curiousway of hunting bears, and if Bruin had only known how powerless hispersecutors really were, he would, no doubt, have freed himself fromthem in short order. He was too badly frightened, however, to perceivethe truth, and did his best to keep out of range of the menacingcudgels, while all the time the village drew nearer, where his fateawaited him.
Raoul would have liked very much to reach the village ahead of thebear, but although he ran his very best, he was left well in the rear,and when he came up the big black creature had already been dispatched.
"You poor fellow!" said Raoul as he passed his hand over the rich,glossy black fur, a qualm of pity succeeding the lust of the chase nowthat the excitement was over. "You did your best to get away from us,but we were too many for you. It was not just a fair fight, was it?"
Several other bears had been secured, and when the hunt was over, andthe Indians had all gathered again, some strange ceremonies took place.Into the mouths of the slain bears smoke from an Indian pipe was blownby the hunters, and at the same time each lifeless creature was beggednot to hold any hard feelings because of what they had suffered. Thenthe bears' heads, painted and decorated, were set on high, and thesavages sang the praise of the Acadian king of beasts, after which thewell-cooked bodies were divided amongst the hungry people, who feastedupon them greedily. Madame and Raoul had their share of bear-steak,and then the former took advantage of the quiet which followed thefeast, to talk to these heathens about the Great Spirit whom she was soanxious they should learn to love. She was listened to with greatattention by the Indians, because she had won their hearts, not only byher lovely character, but also by her many generous deeds and gifts.
But they were, for the most part, slow learners of the new and betterway. The grizzled old chief, to whom Madame with infinite patience wasteaching the Lord's Prayer, made a quaint objection.
"If I ask for nothing but bread," said he, "I shall have no more moosenor sweet cakes," referring to some toothsome cake that Madame hadherself baked as a present for him.
After Madame had spoken, the young folks fell to sky-larking, while theelders smoked their pipes, and Outan, who was fond of teasing, raised abig laugh at Raoul's expense by telling how the bear had dropped fromthe tree and put him to flight, and he mimicked Raoul dodging aroundthe tree-trunk. This angered Raoul, and when his orders to Outan to"shut up" passed unnoticed, he rushed at him and struck him in the face.
Now, although Outan looked upon both Madame de la Tour and Raoul assuperior beings, and would have endured a great deal at their handsrather than displease them, still he had his own share of temper andpride, and this sudden blow from Raoul, given in the presence of hiscompanions, filled him with fury. He struck back with all his might,and the next instant the two boys were rolling upon the ground in a madgrapple. At once they were surrounded by an eager circle ofspectators, who keenly relished what promised to be a lively fight, andwith excited cries urged on the youthful combatants.
So close were Raoul and Outan locked in each other's arms that theycould not use their fists, and the struggle was therefore in realitynot more than a wrestling-match.
But the more they strove the fiercer burned their rage, and the momentthat one or the other did succeed in getting a hand free, cruel usewould certainly be made of it.
While this was taking place Madame had been talking with some of thewomen, little imagining how Raoul was engaged, and she might havecontinued in her ignorance had not Outan's little sister run up tothem, sobbing out something which her mother at once understood, anddarted off with an exclamation of alarm.
This attracted Madame's attention, and more out of concern lest someaccident should have happened than from curiosity, she followed theIndian woman. When they reached the crowd that surrounded thefighters, so densely packed was it that at first they could not getwithin sight of what was going on. But presently some of the men madespace for Madame in rather a shamefaced way, until she was quite closeto the struggling boys.
For a moment she thought it was only an innocent trial of strength, buta second look at their inflamed faces and furious eyes told her thetruth, and in a horror-stricken voice she called out:
"Raoul! Raoul! what's the meaning of this? Stop it at once. Icommand you."
But Raoul was in too wild a fury to hear or heed, and, realizing this,Madame, the grace of whose form concealed an unusual degree of strengthin a woman, laid hold of the boys and tore them apart.
In Paths of Peril: A Boy's Adventures in Nova Scotia Page 3