by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER X
A FOOLHARDY SHOT
Though the days were long now, for this was July, when dawn comes inthis land before two o'clock in the morning, it was scarce daylight whenSkipper Ed and Jimmy in their big trap boat, and with a skiff in tow inwhich were stowed his seven sledge dogs, hoisted sail and bore down thebay before a westerly breeze.
And as they passed beyond the point which separated the cove in whichAbel's cabin stood from the cove where their own cabin stood, theydiscovered Abel's boat almost abreast of them, and within hailingdistance. Bobby and Jimmy exchanged vociferous greetings, and Skipper Edand Abel converged their courses until the boats were so close as topermit of conversation.
It was a glorious morning. The air was crisp and fragrant with whiffs offorest perfumes borne down to them from the near-by shore. Banks ofbrilliant red and orange in the eastern sky foretold the coming of thesun. The sea sparkled. Gulls and other wild fowl soared overhead or rodelightly upon the swell. A school of shining caplin shimmered on thesurface of the water. Here and there a seal lifted its curious head fora moment, and then disappeared. At intervals a grampus, with astartling, roaring blow, raised its great black back above the surface,and then sank again from view.
On barren hillsides patches of snow, remnants of mighty drifts, layagainst the dark moist rocks like great white sheets, and here and thereminiature ice pans rose and fell upon the swell, reminders of the longcold winter, for winter in this far northern clime is ever reluctant torelinquish its grasp upon the earth.
The glow in the east disappeared at length, and then the sun rose tocaress them with his warmth. Presently mirages appeared. Islands seemedto sit upon the tops of other islands, or to hang suspended in the air,and every distant shore became distorted in the brilliant July sunlight.
"That's the way a good many of us look at things in this life," saidSkipper Ed. "We see the mirage, and not the thing itself. Hopes loom upand look real, when they're just false. It's a great thing to be able totell the differences between what is real and what is just a mirage."
The wind fell away to a dead calm before noon, and though Abel andSkipper Ed worked at their heavy sculling oars, and Bobby and Jimmy andMrs. Abel at the other oars, the boats, laden as they were, and retardedby the skiffs in tow, made such slow progress that at length theystopped at a convenient island to boil the kettle and cook their dinnerand wait for a returning breeze.
Dinner was a jolly feast, simple as it was, for in this land folk liveupon simple food and are satisfied with little variety, for theirappetites and desires are not glutted, as ours so often are. And manythings that you and I deem necessary they do not miss, because they havenever had them, and more often than not have never so much as heard ofthem. And perhaps it is just as well, and their happiness is just ascomplete.
A cod which Bobby caught with his jigger, was boiled in sea water,because sea water salted it to just the right flavor. This was the firstcod of the season, and the first cod is always a delicacy, and so theydeemed it, together with some of Mrs. Abel's bread, and a pot of teasweetened with a drop of molasses.
Then Skipper Ed and Abel shaved tobacco from black plugs, and Skipper Edand Abel and Mrs. Abel talked while they waited for the wind to risethat was to carry them on their journey.
It was a rocky, irregular island upon which they had halted, with rockssloping up from the water's edge, and on the top some struggling bunchesof brush. It was not a large island, but nevertheless Bobby and Jimmydeemed it worthy of exploration, and so, bent upon discovery, they lefttheir elders to talk, while they wandered about.
"There's a dotar on the shore," exclaimed Bobby, stopping suddenly andindicating the dark body of a harbor seal sunning itself comfortablyupon the surface of the smooth, flat rocks near water. "Wait here,Jimmy, till I get my gun and try a shot at him."
And away he ran, presently to return with his gun--the same that Abelhad found in the boat at the time he discovered Bobby. It wasdouble-barreled, and a shotgun, but now both barrels were loaded withround ball. And loaded with ball it was effective enough at fifty yardsor so, but far from certain in accuracy at a greater distance.
"Let's work down through the brush as far as we can," suggested Bobby,"and then I'll crawl down on him, if he'll let me, for a good closeshot."
Slowly they crawled, and cautiously, looking at nothing and payingattention to nothing but the seal, which, presently becoming consciousof danger perhaps, grew restless; and though Bobby was not as near hisgame as he should have wished, he threw up his gun and fired. Thebullet, after the manner of bullets fired from shotguns at long range,went wide of its mark, and the seal, after the manner of seals, slippedgently into the water and was gone.
"There he goes!" exclaimed Bobby in disgust, springing to his feet. "IfI had only had a rifle!"
"Yes," said Jimmy, "you'd have--"
Jimmy's sentence was cut short by the sound of a heavy tread behindthem, and wheeling about our young hunters discovered a big polar bear,in the edge of the brush and not twenty yards away. It had apparentlybeen aroused from an afternoon sleep, and not being partial to humansociety was now bent upon an expeditious departure from the vicinity.Quick as a flash Bobby raised his gun to his shoulder.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" warned Jimmy.
But Bobby did not heed the warning. The bullet from the undischargedbarrel went crashing into the animal's shoulder. The bear stumbled, bitfuriously at the wound, and then in a rage charged upon his nowdefenseless enemies.
Polar bears, unless very hungry, or unlessplaced in a position where they must defend themselves, will rarelyattack man. But when wounded they are more likely than not to becomefurious, and their fury knows no bounds. Bent upon revenge they willattack viciously and are dangerous enemies. The hunter who wounds apolar bear without first taking the precaution to prepare for defense orretreat, tries an exceedingly dangerous experiment.
Quick as a flash Bobby raised his gun to his shoulder]
This was exactly what Bobby had done. The instant he fired the shot herealized that he had not reached a vital spot. In his eagerness tosecure the bear he took the chance of his single bullet disabling it. Areckless game it was, but he played it and lost.
Jimmy was unarmed and Bobby had no time to reload, for he knew the bearwould charge immediately.
"Run, Jimmy! Run for your life!" he shouted.
But Jimmy needed no warning. He was already putting into action all thespeed he could muster, and away went Bobby, also.
Jimmy chose the open space nearer the shore, Bobby a more direct, thoughmore obstructed, course across the island, but both took the generaldirection of camp. As the two diverged the bear, probably because he wasmore plainly in view, chose to follow Jimmy, and followed him sostrenuously and with such singleness of purpose that he was presentlyat Jimmy's very heels--so close at his heels, indeed, that had Jimmystopped or hesitated or lessened his speed for an instant, theinfuriated beast would have been upon him.
Bobby was quick to discover that the bear had left his own trail, and hewas also quick to discover Jimmy's imminent danger. There was no otherhelp at hand. If Jimmy was to be saved, he must save him. The thoughtcrossed his mind like a flash of lightning. He did not lose hishead--Bobby never lost his head in an emergency. He thought ofeverything. He feared there was not time to reload, but it was the onlything to do. As he ran he drew two shells, loaded with ball, from hispocket. For the fraction of a minute he halted, "broke" his gun, droppedthe shells into place, snapped the gun back and threw it to hisshoulder, but in the brief interval that had elapsed the bear and Jimmyhad so far gained upon him that the distance between him and the bearloomed up before him now as almost hopelessly long. If he only had arifle, instead of his shotgun! But it was the last hope, and whisperinga prayer to God to send the bullet straight, with nerves as tense assteel, he pulled the trigger.
His heart leaped with joy as he saw the bear stop, bite again at thewound, this time near its hind quarters, and then with a roa
r of rageturn from Jimmy toward himself.
He would not risk another shot at that distance. He would wait now forhis enemy to come to close quarters, and with nimble fingers he slippeda loaded shell into the empty barrel, that when the time came to shoothe might have two bullets at his disposal instead of one. He had neverfelt so perfectly cool and steady in his life, nor so absolutelyunafraid, as now, while he stood erect and waited.
The bear was not twenty feet away when he fired his first shot. Itstaggered, shook its head for a moment, and then rushed on. Bobby drew acareful bead and fired again. The bear fell forward, pawed the rocks,regained its feet, and lunged at Bobby.