Almost as soon as the rustling made itself plain to the ears of the travelers there was a snorting among the horses, and they appeared to be much frightened.
“Maybe this is Noddy’s crowd!” exclaimed Bob.
“Our horses wouldn’t be afraid of other animals of the same kind,” Tinny said. “I’m inclined to believe——”
But he never expressed his belief, for a moment later there was a loud “Wuff!” and an immense grizzly bear lumbered out of the bushes and started down the side of the hill along which the trail ran.
“Wow! Look at him! The king of the bears!” shouted Bob, making a grab for his rifle that was near him.
Before the others could reach their weapons or before Bob could bring his to a sight, the bear, with another “Wuff,” turned and made his way back along his own trail faster than he had come down. He was an exceedingly frightened bruin, it seemed.
The horses snorted and tried to bolt, but Mallison and Jerry were at their heads instantly, quieting them, for they knew what it meant to be without mounts in that region.
“Say, that bear actually ran away from us!” cried Ned, for the shaggy, clumsy creature was out of sight in a few seconds.
“That’s what he did,” declared Tinny. “He didn’t know we were here. He must have blundered down on us. The wind was blowing from him to us, and the horses probably smelled him before he burst out of the bushes. He didn’t scent us or he never would have come as close, for a grizzly has an acute nose.”