Instead of obeying her the man tried to wriggle in.
“I see I’ve got to attack him from inside the tent,” decided the girl. Wheeling about she ran into the tent where, in the light from the campfire, she could see the tousled head and rolling black eyes of the man underneath the side wall. Without speaking she seized a pail of water that stood near the entrance of the tent and dashed it full into the man’s face.
“Hurrah for Harriet!” cried Crazy Jane from the tent door, where she stood waving her arms now and hopping about gleefully.
Choking and sputtering the man wriggled out from under the tent uttering a perfect torrent of abuse in his native tongue. It was about this time that Miss Elting discovered that she had forgotten to load the revolver before taking it from the tent. Meanwhile the leader had untied the chain of the bear and was urging it forward, evidently intending to frighten the women.
“You giva me mon. I then-a go way with da bear. You giva me mon,” he demanded angrily.
Tommy Thompson, at this juncture, found her courage. Snatching up a burning fire brand she charged the man leading the bear. He leaped back to avoid the thrust of the fiery club. The bear swung a giant paw at her. Tommy hit him over the nose with the firebrand. In the meantime Hazel Holland, following Harriet’s example, appeared on the scene with another pail of water, which she dashed over the leader and the bear.
Fire and water were a little more than the man or the bear had bargained for, so they made haste to get out of the danger zone. Crazy Jane, in the meantime pursued them shouting and brandishing a stout stick that she had picked up in the field. Jane chased the men all the way to the road, with Tommy and her fiery club in close pursuit.
“Oh, those rascals!” cried the guardian, when the girls returned. “And that miserable bear! I’ll warrant the three of them got the fright of their lives. They won’t bother the Meadow-Brook Girls soon again.”
“I am not so certain of that,” answered Harriet, smiling. “We did give them a scare, though. But I’m sorry I had almost to drown that one man. He was determined to get into the tent. What do you suppose he wanted?”
“To steal something, of course,” answered Miss Elting.