for a half hour the situation remained unchanged. nick ribsam kept his perch in the branches of the sapling, and, before the end of the time named, he found the seat becoming so uncomfortable that he was sure he could not bear it much longer.
the narrow limb on which he rested, while he held himself in place by grasping the sapling itself, seemed to grow narrower and sharper, while his own weight increased, until he believed it would be preferable to let go and hang on with his hands.
it was not much better with nellie, who had awakened to such a sense of her position that she did not dare to do more than peep out from where she stood, at rare intervals, quickly drawing back her head lest the savage animal should see her.
the bear himself showed a patience which was astonishing, and was like that of the esquimau, who never stirs a muscle for hour after hour, while sitting beside the air-hole in the ice, waiting for the seal to show his nose above the surface.
bruin moved more slightly now and then, but went no more than a dozen yards from the tree, and seemed never to take his eyes from his victim for more than a second or two.
during these trying minutes, the smoke sometimes filled the air scarcely less than before and the eyes of the brother and sister smarted and stung and shed tears, and their lungs became sore from continual coughing, rendered the more distressing in the case of nellie, who was obliged to suppress the noise by cramming her handkerchief in her mouth.
but during the same period, the wits of nick ribsam were not idle. he had thought of sending nellie home to bring her father to his assistance, but he was restrained by the fear that the bear would detect her, and, even if she should get away, he doubted whether she would be able to find her way through the woods to the open country beyond.
here and there the trees were burning, and the dry limbs lay on the ground, giving out the red glow of smoldering embers, or sending out little twists of smoke to join the enormous mass of vapor which hung like a pall over so many square miles of country.
nellie, for the twentieth time, leaned her head forward and looked out from behind the tree trunk that sheltered her. she saw the bear sitting on his haunches some twenty feet away, looking steadily upward, as though he were a charred stump, which could never change its posture or position. nick rested uneasily on the narrow limb, when he made a movement which the quick-witted girl knew at once meant that he had resolved on trying to do something for himself.
carefully freeing his legs from the branch, he lowered himself so that he hung by his hands, within ten feet of the ground. hanging only a second or two, he let go and dropped lightly upon his feet.
the whole thing took less than a minute, but the bear had observed it almost as quickly as did nellie, and the minute the lad struck the ground the beast was lumbering toward him.
poor, terrified nellie screamed and ran from behind the tree, certain that it was all over with her brave brother; but the latter did not despair by any means. with astonishing celerity, he dashed to where a large pine branch lay on the ground, burned in two; and catching up one of the pieces, which was so hot that it scorched his fingers, he whirled it about with such quickness that the glowing end made one steady, even wheel of fire about his head. he recalled his experience in the woods two years before when hunting the other bear.
while doing this, bruin was advancing rapidly on the boy, who kept circling the torch until the beast was within ten feet, by which time the stick was blazing as though it were a pine knot.
then, with a boyish shout, nick extended his arm at full length, pointing the flaming torch straight at the head of his foe, as though he held a damascus sword of needle-like sharpness which he meant to drive through the iron skull, and he strode directly at the beast with the step of a conqueror.
every animal, wild or domestic, dreads fire, and this strange attack was more than the bear could stand. without the least attention to dignity, he turned about and swung off toward the lake, doubtless of the opinion that there alone he could find safety from the element that drove him thither in the first place.
nick shouted and broke into a run, and the bear did the same! just under the tree, the lad stopped and put on his shoe, which had been somewhat damaged by the claws of the brute. then, being well shod and in no further danger from the animal, on which he had turned the tables so unexpectedly, nick joined his sister, still carrying his torch as a precaution in the event of bruin's changing his mind and making after him.
but there was no danger of anything of the kind, and the bear was not seen to look behind him, even to learn whether the pursuit was kept up.
"i guess i will give over my hunt for the rest of my clothes till some better time," said nick, once more taking the hand of nellie and starting up the bank of the stream which fed the pond, toward the bridge that had burned some time before.
by carefully picking their path they reached it without mishap, being on the southern side, so that it was not necessary to ford it in order to continue the road homeward.
the structure was an ordinary one, consisting of a single uncovered span, so that its loss was not serious, except on account of the inconvenience it would cause.
the two stood several minutes looking upon the ruins, that were not very extensive, but their chief interest centered around the carcass of the mare lying at the bottom of the creek, where it had floated against the shore.
the children were naturally attached to the animal, and there were tears in their eyes, when, with a deep sigh, they turned away and climbed up the steep bank to the level of the road and started for home.
they had reason to doubt their ability to force their way through the several miles of forest remaining between them and the open country beyond, but they were resolved to do their utmost, for they dreaded staying any longer in the section where they had suffered and escaped so much.
as has been stated, the fury of the conflagration had expended itself, and there was nothing to be feared from the scorching flames, which had confronted and endangered them shortly after they entered the woods, on their return.
the road was strewn with burning debris, and many a time they were forced to stop, in doubt whether they could get by the obstruction but some way always opened: they would find a point where it could be leaped, or they would flank it by a little circuit through the woods themselves.
in this manner they toiled on until half the distance was passed, when they were brought to a stand-still by a discovery which took away their breath for the time.
they saw the ruins of something which they did not recognize until they drew near, when they discovered that an ordinary farmer's wagon, with its two horses, had been burned. little more than the iron work of the body was left, and the animals seemed to have gone down side by side, where they lay burned and burst open by the flames, that were less merciful to them than to the brother and sister who had made such a gallant fight for life.
the sight was sad enough, but it was rendered tenfold more so by the figure of the driver, only a few rods distant. when his team gave out he had probably leaped to the ground and started to run from the fire, but was overtaken and perished miserably.
"how thankful we ought to be!" said nellie, in a subdued voice, as they moved forward again.
"so i am," was the fervent response of nick, whose heart was melted with pity for the unfortunate stranger, and with thankfulness that he and nellie had been selected by heaven for such a signal display of mercy.
they were in constant dread of coming upon similar scenes, but they were spared the sight, and, at the end of about an hour from the time of leaving the bridge, they emerged into the open country, where they were near their own home.
the afternoon was pretty well gone, and the sky still wore that impressive appearance which we all remember well; but it was not so marked as a short time before, and was rapidly passing away.
there was a great deal of smoke drifting and floating through the air, but it caused less inconvenience and annoyance than it did when they fled to the pond for safety.
the children gave another expression of their gratitude, and then hastened toward the humble home, which was, indeed, the dearest spot on earth to them.
the parents were full of anxiety, though they hoped that nick had seen the danger, and had stayed in dunbarton with horse and carriage.
but the couple stood at the gate, shading their eyes, and looking yearningly down the road, in the hope of catching sight of the loved forms of the brave children.
when they saw and recognized the figures, they rushed forth to meet them, with swelling hearts. father and mother pressed them to their breasts, and the eyes of all were streaming with tears, for of nick and nellie might it not be said—"for these, my children, were dead, and are alive again: they were lost, and they are found?"
when nick had told the whole wonderful story, the father took his hand and said in his native tongue:
"my boy, i have taught you that god helps them that help themselves. i am glad that at no time, so far as i can gather, did you despair. you and nellie have been tried by fire, and have come out as pure gold. heaven be praised for its mercies. the lesson you have learned will go with you through life. never despair, but press onward and upward, and the reward shall be yours at last."
and what did the good man say but that which our own beloved and mourned poet has so beautifully limned in lines that shall be as immortal as his own fragrant deeds and revered memory?
footprints, that perhaps another, sailing o'er life's solemn main, a forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing, shall take heart again. let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate, still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.
