Things started in happening about that time.
And conditions could hardly have been much worse; for while Frank and Mr. Witherspoon had their rifles along, the magazines had been exhausted in their recent shooting affair; while the only two serviceable guns lay on the other side of the little gulf that was spanned by the log.
“Get to the bridge as fast as you can!” called out the ranchman, with a ring of authority in his voice.
It might have been noticed that Andy did not wait this time to complain about the “focus,” and all that sort of thing; in fact, he simply ran for the avenue of escape without once looking around him. And both Frank and Mr. Witherspoon kept him pretty close company.
Buckskin had been close to the bridge himself at the time of his making that astonishing discovery; and hence he was already passing over. As a cowboy is not so sure-footed as a good many people accustomed to walking, there were times when it began to look as though he might lose his grip again, and be compelled to resort to the original method of using his hands and knees.
“Don’t let my kodak drop, Buckskin!” shrieked Andy, really more concerned about the safety of his little camera just then than his own safety.
Perhaps his outcry did have some steadying effect upon the other, for he managed to get to the opposite side without having to descend to any humiliating experience, but it was a close shave.
And now the boys understood just why Buckskin had made such mad haste. It was not because he meant to forsake them, or was so tremendously alarmed regarding his own condition. He had suddenly remembered that the guns that were charged had been left across on the other side, and somebody must charge that bridge in order to lay hands on them.
It was doubtless very fortunate for all concerned that the second grizzly did not see fit to charge as ferociously as had its dead mate; for in such a case the chances were they must have been mixed up with those long, cruel claws before the lot of them could cross over.
The newcomer stopped to sniff at the body of the other animal too, and this delayed things for a few seconds; just enough for them to get safely over, and for history to repeat itself in so far as hurling the log into the hole was concerned.