The bear was dazed by the blow and wandered aimlessly around the pit, snarling horribly. He was not ready to give up yet.
“He pretty near had us that time,” Sturgis said, “but don’t hit him too hard. Run that noose end of the chain through this far end of the cage, Pat, out of the open end there and down into the pit. Then if we can get the noose around his neck we can pull him right into the cage and hold him there while we nail him up.”
Scott took charge of the noose and attempted to lasso the bear. It was a difficult trick. Every time he had the noose nearly on the bear would grab it and bite it savagely. At last he saw his chance. The bear sat up on his haunches for a better view of his tormentor and Scott dropped the noose neatly over his head. The noose refused to tighten and Dan reached down with a shovel to slip it along. The bear slapped it a blow that tore it out of Dan’s hands and sent it rattling up against the side of the pit, but his temper proved his undoing. He pounced savagely on the fallen shovel, the only thing he could reach, and the lunge tightened the noose.
“Now will you be good?” Scott shouted triumphantly.
“Get on the end of that chain, boys,” Sturgis directed, “and keep it tight while I dig down this side of the pit so that we can drag him out.”
The edge of the sandy pit was soon broken down to an easy slope and the protesting bear was dragged relentlessly into his new home. The hog wire was quickly fastened across the end of the cage and the chain loosened. For a few minutes the bear resented its captivity desperately, tore furiously at the wire, threw itself violently against the side of the cage, and growled savagely. But it did not last long. The tremendous exertions in the pit, the heavy blow on the head and the utter futility of the attacks on the cage had broken his spirit, and abandoning all hope he lay quietly down in the cage, wholly indifferent to everything.
“That’s the way, old boy,” Greenleaf said soothingly, “take it easy. We are going to take you to a nice place where you will get more to eat than you have ever had before in your life.”
They brought the wagon over to load the cage, but found a new difficulty. The horse had no idea of hauling a bear. The instant he scented the brute he became almost unmanageable and it required the combined efforts of the whole crew to keep him from getting away. He trembled violently and snorted with fear.
“Take him out,” Dan said, “and I’ll get the oxen. They haven’t sense enough to be afraid of anything.”
Dan did not like the oxen, but he knew their possibilities. When the change had been made they set out for the school, Greenleaf leading the procession on the rebellious horse.