Before they could obey, the wounded animal rushed from the cave. Straight at them it came, with flashing eyes and snapping jaws. In an effort to stop its murderous charge, the guide, with no time to bring his rifle to shoulder, fired with the weapon held at his hip.
At his warning cry the boys sprang aside. Then, as it rushed past, the bear struck out with one huge paw and sent George over backward and off the narrow ledge. Struggling for a hold with feet or hands, he went sliding down the steep face of the icy cliff. Luckily, he fell on his back, and the snowshoes strapped to his shoulders served for a toboggan. Down he went bumping along at railroad speed. Rocks followed, bounding behind him, and several narrowly missed his head. At last he brought up with a shock against a projecting boulder half-way down the long, steep slope. Dazed and dizzy, the lad threw his arms about it and held on for life.
THE BEAR STRUCK OUT WITH ONE HUGE PAW AND SENT GEORGE OVER BACKWARD
High above him he heard two shots ring out in rapid succession. He was taking some consolation in the thought that Ben and Ed had killed the bear when a great sliding of rocks caused him to look up. Then his heart almost ceased beating, for there was the enraged brute coming down the slide directly upon him. His rifle was at the den; and, scared and helpless, he crouched there on the snow-covered incline, entirely at the mercy of the bear.
A hoarse shout sounded from above, and a shot quickly followed. George instinctively dodged behind a rock as he heard the bullet sing past his head. Another report sounded from the summit. The bear half turned, rose unsteadily on its hind legs, clawed the air wildly, and rolled down to within a few feet of George.
After a few spasmodic twitches of its powerful muscles, the great creature became motionless. Then George noted that it bled from three distinct wounds, and he wondered if there had been a serious mix-up, and how his friends had fared in the encounter. The slope on which he found himself was very steep, and offered few footholds. He dared not move from his cramped position for fear of plunging to destruction on the sharp rocks far below. How he was to get out of this he did not know, but he felt sure that Ben would find a way.
Finally he saw the head and shoulders of the guide leaning over the edge of the rock platform. Then Ed appeared, and George felt relieved to know that neither had been seriously mauled by the bear.
Ben studied the angle of the slide for some time, and realized that the position of his young charge was a precarious one. The unfortunate lad had lodged at about the steepest place of the rocky descent. He was in the middle of the long slope. The distance to be traversed was equally long and hazardous, whether he chose to climb up or slide down, in his effort to escape. Ben pondered the situation calmly. He finally decided that it would be easier for the boy to make his way carefully to the bottom than it would be to risk a climb toward the rocky rim from which he had fallen.
Under Ben’s guidance George worked his way, an inch at a time, toward a mass of small boulders to his left. It was slow, dangerous work. Had it not been that the guide constantly shouted encouragement, it is doubtful if he could have accomplished the difficult feat.