The words were scarcely out of Jerry’s mouth when the sound of a rock clattering down the far side of the ravine jerked their eyes upward. Standing beside a big boulder on the rocky shelf facing them was the biggest bear they had ever seen in their lives. His long, shaggy fur was tipped with silver, and on his underside it almost brushed the ground. The monster seemed oblivious of their presence.
“I don’t think he sees us,” Sandy whispered to Jerry. “They have very poor eyesight. And we’re upwind of him so he can’t smell us.”
But the horses caught the scent of the bear and began to whinny and stamp their hoofs in terror. The big Kodiak’s ears went up and he lifted his head, probing the air with his sensitive snout. Slowly he reared up on his hind legs.
Jerry couldn’t restrain a gasp of astonishment and wonder. “Wow! Will you look at the size of him! He must be ten feet tall if he’s an inch.”
When the bear stood erect, Sandy could see a red, matted spot on his left shoulder. “Someone shot him all right,” he said. He pressed his lips firmly together and lifted the big rifle to his shoulder. “Well, here goes.” Then he added, “You take a bead on him too, Jerry, in case I miss.”
“I’m so jittery, I don’t think I could hit the side of a barn,” Jerry answered breathlessly. Nevertheless, he brought up his rifle.
“It’s an easy shot,” Sandy told him. “Only about forty yards. I’ll try for a head shot. You aim just below the left shoulder. And take off your mittens, idiot.”
Sandy squinted down the long barrel, fixing the sight on a spot directly between the bear’s eyes. Very gently he squeezed the trigger. There was a tremendous explosion and a numbing blow against his shoulder that sent him somersaulting backward off the boulder. He lay there stunned for an instant. Then Jerry grabbed the front of his parka and pulled him to his feet.
“What a recoil,” Sandy mumbled.
“Forget the recoil!” Jerry was hopping up and down in excitement. “You got him! Look! One-shot Steele, that’s you. Bet you could have made a chump out of Buffalo Bill.”