"You were the first one to do it, though," retorted Will. "You can stay if you want to, but I don't."
George followed his brother, but Jack, true to his word, stood his ground, ready to meet the bear.
CHAPTER X.
HUNTING THE HUNTERS.
It looked to the young hunters as though they had struck the popular hour for the visitors to the salt lick. They were no more than fairly rid of the bisons when they were met by three bears, that showed no wish to yield the path to them. It was this fact that led Will and George to take to their heels while Jack Gedney held his ground.
Now, it was the season of the year, as I have said, when the bears are generally in good condition. You know that they are what are called hibernating animals--that is, they spend most of the winter in sleep, during which their nourishment is the fat of their own bodies, though it is claimed that each sucks his fore paw. It is in the spring, when the bears come forth from their winter's sleep, that they are lean, fierce, and dangerous. In the autumn they are in such comfortable form that they will not go far out of their way to harm any one, unless he first provokes them.
Jack did not mean to fight the three bears single-handed. He was impatient when he saw that there was just one apiece, and that his two friends had fled.
"You're my game," said Jack to himself, drawing his gun to his shoulder and aiming at the foremost.
The latter was less than twenty yards away when he observed the lads. He halted and raised his pig-like snout, while the others, some distance to the rear, lumbered forward, not seeing the cause that had checked their leader.
I must do the brothers credit, however, by making haste to say that they had run but a short distance when both stopped as if by one accord.