When the lads went out picking berries on the third day, Ray had grown a little bit tired of harvesting berries, and near the top of a ridge he lay down and fell asleep and [[172]]Tawny lay down near him. The lad was awakened from a sound sleep by a loud barking and a strange growling noise, and when he sat up and opened his eyes, a big black bear was coming straight for him, while Tawny was madly barking at the animal but was afraid to close with so large a beast. For a moment the bear seemed in doubt whether he should cuff the dog or punish the being whom he had smelled up the wind and who had suddenly risen up before him. And when he walked toward the dazed lad, and arose on his hind legs and uttered a vicious growl, Ray’s nerves gave away. He ran for the camp as fast as he could go, and when he reached it he was ready to drop and so out of breath that he could utter only a few words: “A—bear! He chased me! Run with the gun, Father. He—he’s killed my dog.”
A big black bear was coming straight for him.
Page 172.
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CHAPTER XXII
ON A NEW TACK
As soon as Ray had recovered from his fright he seized his gun and ran after Ganawa. He wondered why Ganawa had not fired, but now he saw the Indian point to a tall pine, from which two bear cubs were coming down, just as a boy comes down out of a tree, feet first.
“There, my son,” said Ganawa, “you see why the bear attacked you and the dog. She was afraid you would harm her cubs. You must never kill a mother animal that has young. We must not harm these bears. We do not need the meat, and killing them would bring us bad luck.”