Neither of them dared cast a single look back, lest they stumble over an outcropping rock, or get entangled in some running vine, such as fairly covered the ground in certain places, to serve as traps to incautious feet.
Jack managed to arrive at the selected tree ahead of his mate, and swinging around to the further side, so as to keep out of the other’s way, commenced to lift himself into the lower branches.
This was no slight task, seeing how heavily they were both loaded down with those bundles fastened to their backs; but it is wonderful what fright can accomplish under similar conditions; and Perk was already pawing at the other side of the friendly tree, wild with eagerness to hoist himself far enough from the ground so as to avoid contact with those cruel claws of the monster, of which he had doubtless heard thrilling stories concerning their length, and sharpness.
Nearer came the crashing sounds, and the growls; but by great good luck the angry beast arrived just too late to attain his end; for while he reached up all of ten feet Perk believed, he could not more than barely touch the lower foot of the climber, which was instantly drawn beyond his reach.
For a full minute, more or less, neither of them could spare the breath to make any sort of comment over their narrow escape—it was enough for them to know they had nothing to fear immediately from the irate silver-tip, still standing erect, and emitting those hoarse growls, as if to tell them what he would do if only they ventured within his reach.
Then Perk made a slight move, and Jack feared he might be about to kick at the beast’s elevated snout, which would only irritate Bruin a great deal more.
“Keep quiet, and don’t do anything to stir him up more than he is already,” was the way Jack cautioned his running mate, knowing the impulsive nature of Perk only too well. “He may fade away when he sees he can’t touch us. Just get your breath back, Pal Perk, and wait up.”
“Okay, brother,” replied the other, as though recognizing the soundness of his comrade’s doctrine.
But somehow or other the big beast showed no signs of intending to break the siege by “fading out,” as Jack had termed it; he continued to move around the base of the tree, now on all fours, and again raising up to his full height with ferocious growls if either of them so much as made a slight move.
“Gee whiz! he sure is some wheeze, I’d say, Jack,” Perk remarked, after some little time had passed, with no change whatever taking place. “What if the ole geezer takes a notion to tent aout here at aour tree—say, that’d be the limit, bet yeour boots it would!”