The Peril Finders Part 47

"That's right. Now, just above it there's a patch of green running up to the fir-trees, all low bushes sprinkled about with the rocks between."

"Yes," said Chris, "I can see that too. Well?"

"Look, look, Chris," cried Ned; "I can see it now--there, just crossing from one lot of bushes to another. There it goes."

"Yes, I see now. Why, you mean wool, Griggs. It's a mountain-sheep.-- No, it isn't," cried Chris excitedly; "it's a bear."

"Yes, all alive, oh! and in his skin coat."

"And quite beyond reach, unless we stalk him. I say, Griggs, how lucky!

Is that a grizzly?"

"Oh, no; they're twice as big. That's only a brown bear."

"But is he coming after our mules?"

"Not he. He's hunting for wild fruit--berries and things of that sort."

"Then it's not a dangerous one?"

"Not if you leave him alone. He'd show fight, though, I dare say, if you went after him."

"Let's climb higher up and get above him. We can easily get a shot at him then," said Chris.

"Do you want his skin?" said Griggs.

"No."

"Well, you wouldn't care about eating him, though bear ham isn't bad."

"Oh, we don't want to eat him," cried Ned, watching the movements of the brute eagerly.

"You don't want his fat to make bear's grease for your hair, do you?"

"Of course not."

"Then I'd leave him alone. We've plenty of ammunition now, but we don't want to waste any."

"But suppose he had been a grizzly?" said Chris, bringing the gla.s.s to bear on the distant animal.

"If it had been a grizzly I should say the best thing would be to let him alone, and the same with a cinnamon, for they're very dangerous beasts. If either of them came smelling after the mules or ponies of course it would be a different thing. There wouldn't be room enough for him and us too on the same mountain side. Well! he's gone, hasn't he?"

"Yes, right up amongst the fir-trees."

"Ah, he'll be much safer there," said Griggs. "You fellows would be tempted to have a shot at him if he came within reach. Now then, lend me the gla.s.s."

The binocular was handed to him, and while the two lads stood watching the woodland patch where the bear had disappeared, in expectation of its coming into sight again, the American stood sweeping the horizon and then bringing the gla.s.s to bear upon the wondrous view in every direction where he could bring mountain, valley, hill, and plain into the field of the gla.s.s.

He had turned slowly till he was gazing in the direction from which they had come, leaving what looked like a band of deep green, to bring the gla.s.s to bear upon the pale ash-coloured desert part, which rapidly brightened into silvery grey, and from that became like the sea, half-hidden by a soft haze which died away into the sky-line.

Quite ten minutes must have pa.s.sed away, the boys having been too much occupied with the bear to heed their companion, when Ned said in a disappointed tone--

"Gone! I should have liked to shoot that bear."

"And had his skin," said Chris. "But look at Griggs," he added, in a whisper; "he can see something.--What are you looking at?" cried the boy, aloud.

"That patch far away over the salt plain. You can't see it with the naked eye.--Yes: I can, but it only looks like a shadow. Here, try the gla.s.s."

He handed the binocular to the boy, who looked but could see nothing till his companion had given him a hint or two to follow an imaginary line upward from one of the eminences below.

Chris caught the object sought then.

"Yes," he cried, "I see. Why, it's a herd of buffalo!"

"Try again," said Griggs.

"Yes: a herd of buffalo," said Chris, lowering his gla.s.s and trying to fix the object with his eyes. "I can see it without the gla.s.s. Just like a cloud-shadow in the glistening, heaving plain, and moving slowly.

I shouldn't have thought that buffalo would be seen on a dry place like that."

"Let me look," cried Ned, and after a try or two he caught the object visible through the gla.s.s.

"Yes, buffalo," he said, "and they're moving slowly."

"Coming this way?" said Griggs.

"I can't hold the gla.s.s steadily enough to make sure. Yes, I can see now; they're not coming straight for here, but they seem to be sloping across as if to get to the rich gra.s.s. That must be it, I think."

"Very likely," said Griggs quietly. "Hunting."

"Yes, hunting for gra.s.s," said Chris. "Let's have another look, Ned."

He caught the gla.s.s and took a long look at the dimly-seen distant patch on the plain, to cry decisively without lowering the instrument--

"Yes; you're quite right, Ned. Why, they must be miles away. I should never have seen them. What eyes you have, Griggs!"

"Been used more than yours have, lad, and that has made them a bit keener, I suppose. Try again, and see whether you can see buffalo."

"Yes," said Chris, after a long pause, "buffalo, and they're coming what you call it--diagonally across the country."

"That's right," said Griggs; "but they're not buffalo."

"What then? They're too big to be wolves."

"Yes," said Griggs coolly; "it's a big band of mounted Indians. Come down, quick."

The news they had to carry was too important to admit of delay, and the little party hurried down to camp, where fortunately as soon as the doctor had brought the gla.s.s to bear he was able to announce that the Indians were not visible from the sheltered nook that had been chosen on account of the trees and rocks around.

"It's fortunate for us that they have no telescope in their civilisation," said Bourne.