it is hard to imagine a more trying situation than that of master herbert watrous, who, while walking along a path in the woods, saw by the faint moonlight what he believed to be the figure of an enormous black bear, sitting on its haunches, and waiting for him to move either forward or backward before springing upon him.
he shuddered with fear, but, with a courage hardly to be expected in his case, he drew up his rifle, sighted as best he could, and fired point-blank at the brute, when no more than a rod separated the two.
it was impossible to miss, even with such an unsteady aim, and the lad had not a particle of doubt that he had hit him; but had he inflicted a mortal wound?
without waiting an unnecessary second, herbert flung out the shell of the cartridge and placed a new one in the breech. his hands trembled so that he could hardly keep from dropping it, but he succeeded better than would have been supposed.
once more the gun was raised, and the leaden missile was buried in the dark object.
but it did not stir, and the amazed lad was transfixed. what did it mean?
"i'll give him another, and if that don't answer—"
from out the gloom in front he discerned a figure advancing upon him, but a second glance showed that it was a man instead of a wild animal.
"hallo, my friend? what are you firing at?"
the voice was such a cheery one that the courage of herbert instantly came back, and it may be said that he was never gladder in all his life to see a person.
"why, i thought that was a wild animal—that is, a bear, in the path in front of me; what is it?"
the man laughed heartily.
"the path makes a little bend right there, so it is not in, but beside the path; it is an oak stump on which you have been wasting your lead."
"but those glaring eyes—"
"that is fox-fire, which does look odd in the night-time."
"but i heard it growling."
"be assured it was all imagination, my young friend; there is no bear or wild animal near us—at least he hasn't shown himself yet."
"well, i'm blamed glad to hear it, for there isn't much fun in hunting wild beasts when it is too dark to aim well: may i ask how it is you happen along here without a gun?"
"i live only a little ways off, and, if you will go back with me, i will be glad to entertain you over night."
"i'm obliged to you, but i have two friends who are expecting me, up by the rock yonder."
"i judged you belonged to the party, but there is only one of them there, unless the other has come since i left. the one named harper, who called at my house this afternoon, is there, and has started his camp fire. he is impatient for the others to come in, and asked me to tell you, if we met, that he particularly wished you to 'hurry up your cakes'—i suppose you know what that means."
"i do, and will bid you good-night."
they exchanged pleasant greetings, and separated, each to pursue his own way.
herbert was anxious to join his friends; for the fact that he had fired into a stump, under the belief that it was a bear, was no proof that the dreaded quadruped was not somewhere in the neighborhood.
as the path, which he was able to keep without difficulty, led by the rock where the three lads were to meet, he had not gone far when he caught the starlike twinkle of a point of light, which told him he was not far from camp.
"hallo, sam, are you there?" called out herbert, while yet a considerable distance off.
"yes. what makes you so late?" was the impatient response and question.
without pausing to reply, herbert hurried forward and a few minutes later joined sam harper, who had a large fire going, and had broiled a squirrel and a rabbit, both of which were in fine condition.
"where's nick?" asked sam, as soon as he saw the youth was alone.
"how should i know anything about him? i haven't seen him since we parted."
"it's mighty queer, any way you may look at it; nick is always the most prompt to keep any bargain he made, and i haven't seen anything of him for hours. he ought to have been here the very first."
"have you signaled to him?"
"i have fired off my gun, and shouted and whistled till my cheeks ache, and i haven't had the first show of an answer."
the manner in which these disheartening words were uttered showed that sam harper was ill at ease, not so much over the continued absence of nick, as from his utter silence. it was fully understood by all, that, if anything happened to either one, he was to signal immediately to the others.
neither herbert nor sam had heard nick's rifle, though it might have been discharged without recognition by them.
herbert had been asleep so long that he could have missed the report very readily, while sam was so far from nick that the sound of his gun could have been mistaken for that fired by some wandering hunter, unknown to either.
every few minutes, sam halloed or whistled, after nick's favorite manner of signaling, and then the two bent their heads and listened for the answer, which came not.
the broiled game remained untasted, for sam's appetite was suspended, and herbert refused to eat while his companion was in such mental trouble.
"there's no use of talking," finally exclaimed sam, unable to repress his uneasiness, "something has gone wrong with nick, and i'm bound to find out what it is."
