BEAR POND AT LAST.
It was indeed a moment of supreme peril, and Dick felt very much as if
his last moment on earth had come. He put out his hands mechanically and
grabbed the wildcat by the throat, but his grip was poor and the beast
shook itself clear with ease.
It was now that John Barrow showed himself to be a master of quick
resources. To fire his rifle at the wildcat would have meant taking the
risk of hitting Dick, and this the guide thought too perilous. Leaping
to the fire, he caught up a long, burning brand and rushed at the beast
with this.
To have a part of the fire thrust directly into its eyes was more than
the beast had bargained for, and as soon as it felt the flame it gave a
cry of alarm and fell back. As it did this Dick leaped to his feet and
sprang several feet away.
[Illustration: DICK AND THE WILDCAT.
_Rover Boys and the Mountains_.]
John Barrow was now free to shoot, and hurling the firebrand at the
wildcat, he caught up his rifle and blazed away in short order. The
wildcat had turned to retreat, but the guide was too quick for it, and
down went the beast with a shot through its head.
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