By this time Tom had another firebrand, and this he compelled his
brother to take, the shotgun being now empty. There was no time to
reload the piece, and indeed, neither of the boys knew where to look for
ammunition.
More enraged than ever, the bear now advanced again, until only the fire
was between him and his intended victims. He had now forgotten about the
fox meat, and thought only of getting at the human being who had injured
him. He arose once more and let out a loud roar, while his small eyes
gleamed maliciously. Had the fire not been in the way he would have
rushed upon Sam without further hesitation.
The pulling out of the two large firebrands was causing the fire to burn
low, something which was in the bear's favor. The boys almost expected
to see the beast leap over the spot, but bruin knew better than to
attempt this. He began to circle around the flames, and as he did this,
the boys did likewise.
"Shall we run?" panted Sam. He was so agitated he could scarcely speak.
"No--stick to the fire," returned Tom.
Pages:
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201