As he entered the place, Tom was conscious of a soft increase of light and glancing backward beheld a three-quarter moon disengaging herself from the tree-tops. In a few moments she had won clear and was sailing upward into unobstructed space, from whence she cast earthward rays which were refracted from millions of snow crystals.
Tom held to the trail like a blood-hound, but near the centre of the clearing he was brought up all standing by the most singular spectacle his eyes ever beheld. Not fifty yards ahead was the bear, erect upon his hind legs and gyrating slowly in a circle as though keeping time to imaginary music. As Tom looked, the beast bent downward and cautiously executed a somersault, grunting with joy in his own performance. Then he moved backward in a straight line, as though to give himself headway, and suddenly bounced toward the pivotal point of the circle, like a trap-ball, landing close beside a small dark object plainly discernible upon the snow. This he caught in his paws and rolled about softly, playing with it as a cat plays with a kitten.
The wind, so far, had been in Tom’s favor, but, as the animal frolicked, he veered about a bit and caught it full-tainted from the hunter’s direction. He threw up his head uneasily and drew the scent into his nostrils. Tom dashed forward at once, conscious that the smallest delay would enable the bear to grab the baby and make off with it. He whipped out his knife as he leapt and howled like a Comanche, hoping to strike terror to the ursine soul. When he got to close quarters he dealt the beast a crashing blow over the muzzle with his lantern, and, in the momentary advantage so gained, contrived, with a strong shove of his foot to send the baby skating along the snow-crust to a considerable distance.
Then the enraged animal rose on his hind legs and gripped him.
Tom lunged with his knife, but failed to strike a vital part and before he could draw out and strike a second time, the bear had a good body grip and was squeezing. Fortunately for Tom the bear was only medium sized, while he, himself, was a big man and a fine wrestler. The breath was being hugged out of him, but his right arm was free so that he was able to match science against brute strength. Thrusting his forearm under his adversary’s chin nearly to the elbow he made a lever of his own body and forced the head up and backward until, to save his neck from dislocation, the bear was compelled to loosen his grip and threw himself on his back, with Tom uppermost. In the fall, Tom freed his other arm and got hold of the hilt of his knife, which he began to saw about in the wound furiously.
How the battle would have ended, had the combatants been left to themselves, is an open question. It was still undecided when the baying of hounds came over the ridge and Dan Rice’s pack swept into the hollow in full cry and threw themselves, en masse, upon the quarry.
After them came the hunters, traveling impetuously and in bunches. They found Tom sitting on the bear’s carcass, with a small bundle hugged to his breast and all the dogs squatting on their haunches about him in a sympathetic semi-circle.
They bore home the bear and the baby in triumph and Sue Westley had to stand some rough joking anent her mistake, which she minded no more than the whistling of the wind. Why should she? Was not the baby alive and crowing in her arms, and Tom the hero of the hour because of his prowess? The fiddlers tuned up their instruments and the women set about restoring to toothsomeness the belated supper, so that, despite the interruption, the frolic came off hilariously and fulfilled Dan’s ambition by making a record.
Two things alone blunted the edge of Tom’s satisfaction. One was that a small iron ring was discovered in the bear’s muzzle, showing that at one portion of his career it must have been accustomed to human dominance. This probably accounted for its gentleness and antics with the baby, but it also took the bloom off of boasting.
The other trouble was the publicity given the affair by the county newspaper, which published the story in detail. This last, Tom regarded narrow-mindedly, and denounced as an outrage.