"
"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.
Pages:
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32