“He is a bouncer and no mistake,” was the truthful comment of Jim.
“I wouldn’t care if he was ten times as large—good gracious! look at that!”
Well might the boys start in alarm, for at that moment the brute began climbing the tree!
They had lost sight of the fact, if indeed they ever knew it, that the black bear is a famous climber when the trunks are big enough to be grasped without his paws interfering.
While Tom and Jim were congratulating themselves on being safe beyond all possible harm, they discovered they were not safe at all.
Bruin was on the point of ascending to their perch, when he was tempted aside by the shouting of Bob Budd in the sapling, and he went off to have some sport with him.
Why the brute should have left Bob at the time he had him within reach it would be hard to say. It may have been he concluded that the single lad had afforded him enough entertainment, and the moment had come for the other two to take a hand.
The consternation of Tom and Jim may be imagined when they saw those massive paws embrace the shaggy bark, which began to crumble beneath the vigorous clawing of the nails, while the huge black body slowly but steadily ascended toward the limbs, where the white-faced youngsters watched his terrifying action.
Bob’s turn had come to laugh, and he called out:
“Wait till he gets up among the branches, then drop and run for a tree that is too small for him to climb.”