“He’s vamosed, has he?” queried Teddy, drily, though both he and Amos were conscious of feeling a broad grin creeping over their respective faces.
“Why, yes, seems like he has,” replied Dolph, heaving a deep sigh of relief, “and I’m right glad of it. Honest to goodness, fellows, he made straight at me, and had on his fighting face to boot. I thought it was a she bear with cubs; and you know they’re always ready for a scrap. That’s why I whooped it up like I did. I was a little bothered, I admit; yes, considerably so, if you will have it. Because, you see, I couldn’t very well stand off a ferocious bear with one little fishing rod, could I? What if he’d grabbed that red ibis fly, was I to try and play him? Not much. All I knew just then was that I had a very important engagement in the next county. And while I was trying my best to keep it, I thought it my duty to send you fellows warning, so you wouldn’t be scared when he bobbed in on you. And I couldn’t seem to make up my mind which tree I wanted to climb, either; not that it mattered much, because black bears climb like monkeys. But anyway, whatever do you think made him take after me like that?”
“Mebbe he thought you wanted to steal some of his pets, the frogs,” suggested Amos, pleasantly.
“Rather say he wanted to give you a try in a wrestle; these black bears have got a hug that will crack a man’s ribs, if you let ’em get the right hold,” was what Teddy advanced as his theory, but with a twinkle in his eye that plainly proclaimed that he was joking.
“Seriously, now, Teddy, what do you think made him chase after me so? I hadn’t bothered him, thrown sticks at him, or even said ‘boo!’ when he started straight toward me on the jump, making the queerest sounds you ever heard.”
“Well, if you want my honest, unadulterated opinion,” said Teddy, “here it is, I happen to know this same cranberry bog. It’s surrounded on nearly every side by swampy ground, where you heard those big frogs tuning their bass notes. In fact, right here is the only way of reaching the bog dry-shod. A sort of natural causeway leads to it, so to speak. Now, Mr. Bear knew that as well as I do. He had used that same many a time in the past. When he saw you, he was scared, and wanted to get away the worst kind. You happened to be blocking his passage, and so he had to gallop toward you. He was grunting in fright, that’s what caused him to make those queer sounds. Perhaps he hoped to squeeze past you. But one thing sure, Dolph, while you had a scare, that poor bear was the worse rattled of the two. Right now he is congratulating himself on having got off with his life!”
“There might be another around, because bears often hunt in couples?” suggested Dolph.
“Wouldn’t be surprised; and I reckon there goes all our hopes of frogs’ legs for dinner tonight,” remarked Teddy, dejectedly.
“Well, I guess not,” said the other, with a compression of his lips, “I see you snatched up my gun in your hurry. Let me have it. I’ll keep it handy, and then I don’t care a hang for all the old bears in Michigan. Who’s afraid? Go back to your jobs, fellows, and many thanks for saving my precious life.”