They were silent for a time. The redwood forests are very quiet and awesome. At night one hears but the rush of the mountain torrent, the cry of a panther or a coyote, the low sigh of wind in the treetops.
"Ay, Roldan," exclaimed Adan, suddenly. "Think did we meet a bear?"
"We probably shall," said Roldan, coolly. "These forests have many 'grizzlies,' as the Americans call them."
"But what should we do, Roldan?"
"Why, kill him, surely."
"Have you ever seen one?"
"Never."
"But it is said that they are very large, my friend, larger than you or I."
"Perhaps. Keep quiet. I like to hear the forest talk."
"What strange fancies you have, Roldan. A forest cannot talk."
"Oh--hush."
"Ay, yi, Roldan! Roldan!"
The horses were standing upright, neighing pitifully. Adan gave a hoarse gurgle and crossed himself.
"The adventures have begun," said Roldan.
In a great swath of moonlight on a ledge some yards above them, standing on his hind legs and swinging his forepaws goodnaturedly, was an immense grey bear. Suddenly he extended his arms sociably, almost affectionately.
"We cannot retreat down that steep trail," said Roldan, rapidly. "He could follow faster and the horses would fall. To the left! in the brush, quick!--a bear cannot run sideways on a mountain."
The boys dug their spurs into the trembling mustangs, who responded with a snort of pain and plunged into the thicket. Only the bold skill of the riders saved them from pitching sidewise down the steep slope, despite the brush, for they were unshod and their knees had weakened.
But the grizzly, alas! was still master of the situation. In less than a moment the boys saw him lumbering along above them. He evidently had possession of a trail, more or less level.
"Dios de mi alma!" cried Adan. "If he gets ahead of us he will come down and meet us somewhere. We shall be lost--eaten even as a cat eats a mouse, a coyote a chicken."
"You will look well lining the dark corridors of the bear, my friend.
Your yellow jacket with those large red roses, which would make a bull sweat, would hang like tapestry in the houses of Spain. Those hide boots, spotted with mud, and the blood of the calf, would keep him from wanting another meal for many a long day--"
"Ay, thou fearless one! Why, it is said that if the grizzly even raises his paw and slaps the face every feature is crushed out of shape."
"I should not be surprised."
They plunged on, tearing their clothes on the spiked brush and the thorns of the sweetbrier, fragrant lilac petals falling in a shower about them, great ferns trodden and rebounding. The air was heavy with perfume and the pungent odour of redwood and pine.
Roldan had passed Adan. Suddenly his horse stumbled and would have gone headlong had not his expert rider pulled him back on his haunches.
"What is it? What is it?" cried Adan, who also had been obliged to pull in abruptly, and who liked horses less when they stood on their hind legs. "Is it the bear upon us? But, no, I hear him--above and beyond.
What are you doing, my friend?"
Roldan had dismounted and was on his hands and knees. In a half moment he stood erect.
"We are saved," he said.
"Ay? What?"
"It is a hole, my friend--large and deep and round. Did you put any meat in your saddle-bags?"
"Ay, a good piece."
"Raw?"
"Yes."
"Give it to me--quick. Do not unwrap it."
Adan handed over the meat, then dismounted also.
"A bear-trap?" he asked.
"Yes, a natural one. Come this way, before I unwrap the meat."
The boys forced their way to the south of the large hole, dragging the still terrified horses, who were not disposed to respond to anything less persuasive than the spur. Roldan approached the edge of the excavation and shook the meat loose, flinging the paper after it. As the smell of fresh beef pervaded the air it was greeted by a growl like rising thunder, and almost simultaneously the huge unwieldy form of the bear hurled itself down through the brush. The boys held their breath.
Even Roldan felt a singing in his ears. But the grizzly, without pausing to ascertain his bearings, went down into the hole at a leap. He made one mouthful of the meat, then appeared to realise that he was in a trap. With a roar that made the horses rear and neigh like stricken things, he flung himself against the sides of his prison, drew back and leaped clumsily, tore up the earth, and galloped frantically to and fro.
But he was caught like a rat in a trap.
The boys laughed gleefully and remounted their horses, which also seemed to appreciate the situation, for they had quieted suddenly.
"Adios! Adios!" cried Roldan, as they forced their way up to the trail the bear had discovered. "You will make a fine skeleton; we will come back and look at you some day."
But it was not the last they were to see of Bruin in the flesh.
