Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 2 — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

172 growl brought him to a halt, even as there burst upon him a vision of. terror, a huge she-bear, closely followed by two cubs. Nan-a-ta—for that was the youth’s name —was indeed no coward; fronting the anery beast as, teeth showing in a ferocious snarl, she rushed on him, he thrust strongly at her with his lance. A lightning stroke of the savage paw hurled the weapon aside, splintered, and the warrior had barely time to seize the ax from his girdle before the bear was on him—he struck, wounding her deeply—another blow—the ax spun from his grip—Nan-a-ta, dodging, leaped for the nearest tree, and scrambled madly upward —the bear, rising on her hind feet, struck savagely at him—her claws caught in the bow-string—and Nan-a-ta’s arms were torn loose from the tree. But his legs, the feet crossed, were clamped about the trunk, and instantly he slipped the bow from his shoulder. With a mighty effort lifted his body—caught with his hands, and climbed swiftly up, even as another blow of those terrible claws gashed his thigh. Up and up he climbed, till, ten times the height of a tall man from the earth, he flung himself, panting, astride of a stout limb, and looked down. The bear was climbing the tree! In his haste to escape the death which waited him, Nan-a-ta had chosen the first tree that came to hand, and, by evil fortune, this chanced to be one large enough for the beast to grip with her claws. It was a tall tree; towering above its fel- lows, it overlooked the slope of the hili, the bread river, the valley, and the hills be- yond, a vision of beauty in the rich colors ef autumn, red of maple, yellow of birch, bronze of oak. At another time the young man had stopped to admire, for he was by no means insensible to the loveliness of na- ture—indeed, there had been some debate whether he should be inducted into the war- rior or the artist clan—but now there was no time for such things; death was climbing the tree—and his weapons lay below! Nearer and nearer came the bear, and the youth could plainly see the gleaming teeth, the long, curved claws, razor-sharp, deadly; he could catch the shine of the little, wicked eyes; he could hear the panting of the beast THE ARGOSY. ‘and see the red tongue lolling from her jaws; far below, the cubs whined in their eagerness, capering about on the ground; once the bear slipped, and Nan-a-ta caught his breath sharply—no, she but slid down a few feet, and, recovering herself, came on once more. Nan-a-ta, facmg ever toward his pursuer, edged farther and farther out on the branch and now the bear had reached it; cautious- ly she rested one foot on it, to try its strength, and then, balancing carefully, one slow step at a time, she inched out to where the youth clung. 7 | And now despair seized the warrior; he felt his end was at hand, and something like a sob caught in his throat, to be in- stantly choked down—a warrior of the Ta- an must meet death bravely! Yet this was different from fronting it in battle; more than once had Nan-a-ta faced death in war; more than once had he fought with fierce animals; yet to be hurled to earth from the ‘branches of a tree and devoured, unhon- ored, by wild beasts—the thought was agony. Anxiously he looked about for some possible succor. Slightly above him and a few feet away he say the branch of another tree, and the thought came that perchance he could leap to. that. Slowly, cautiously, he raised himself on his hands, bending forward the while, till he set his feet on. the limb beneath him—bal- ancing with wide-spread arms, he steadied himseli—he bent his knees—nearer drew the bear—and even as the beast struck Nan-a-ta sprang! Withs all his might he sprang, flinging himself toward the bough—he fell short— his fingers grasped a little branch, which was torn through his hand—and he fell. But not far; some ten or twelve feet below another limb broke his fall, and instinctive- ly, unthinking, he flung his arms about it, holding fast, though sick and dizzy, and as he clung a snarl of rage sounded almost in. his ear, a vast, furry body plunged past him, and: Nan-a-ta, looking down, saw the bear, jerked from the limb by the recoil | of his leap strike the ground far below with a thud. . Faint and with. swimming head the youth watched, but the bear did not move, though COnmiCloo S C@