THE BEARS OF BLUE RIVER
page: [ii][View Page [ii]] page: [iii][View Page [iii]]The
Bears of Blue River
BYCHARLES MAJOR
AUTHOR OF "WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER," ETC.
NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY & McCLURE CO.
1901
COPYRIGHT, 1900, 1901,
BY CURTIS
PUBLISHING CO.
COPYRIGHT, 1900, 1901,
BY JOHN
WANAMAKER.
COPYRIGHT, 1901,
BY CHARLES
MAJOR.
September, 1901.
CONTENTS.
- PAGE
- CHAPTER I.
The Big Bear 3 - CHAPTER II.
How Balser got a Gun 31 - CHAPTER III.
Lost in a Forest 53 - CHAPTER IV.
The One-eared Bear 79 - CHAPTER V.
The Wolf Hunt 104 - CHAPTER VI.
Borrowed Fire 140 - CHAPTER VII.
The Fire Bear 171 - page: vi[View Page vi]
- CHAPTER VIII.
The Black Gully 190 - CHAPTER IX.
On the Stroke of Nine 217 - CHAPTER X.
A Castle on Brandywine 238
ILLUSTRATIONS.
- PAGE
- "Balser was more fortunate in his aim, and gave the bear a mortal wound" Frontispiece
- Bass and sunfish and big-mouthed redeye 4
- "A wildcat almost as big as a cow" 14
- "Little Balser noticed fresh bear tracks, and his breath began to come quickly" 15
- "Fresh bear tracks" 17
- "Imagine . . . his consternation when he saw upon the bank, quietly watching him, a huge black bear" 19
- "The bear had a peculiar, determined expression about him" 21
- "When the bear got within a few feet of Balser . . . the boy grew desperate with fear, and struck at the beast with the only weapon he had — his string of fish" 25
- "The bear had caught the fish, and again had climbed upon the log" 29
- "He could hear the bear growling right at his heels, and it made him just fly" facing 44
- "Tige was told to go into the cave" " 48
- "Each with a saucy little bear cub" " 52
- "Down came Tom and Jerry from the roof" " 60
- Tige and Prince swimming about the canoe " 74
- "'Lordy, Balser! It's the one-eared bear'" " 88
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- "'Let's get out of here'" facing 94
- "Balser rushed into the fight" " 102
- "Mischief! they never thought of anything else" 108
- "Balser turned in time to see a great, lank, gray wolf emerge from the water, carrying a gander by the neck" 109
- "Bang! went Balser's gun, and the wolf . . . paid for his feast with his life" 117
- "Caught them by the back of the neck" 123
- "The boys tied together the legs of the old wolves and swung them over the pole . . . and started home leading the pups" 127
- "These hives were called 'gums'" 135
- "The cubs went every way but the right way" facing 146
- "The bear rose to climb after the boy" " 160
- "Liney thrust the burning torch into the bear's face and held it there despite its rage and growls" " 168
- "'Help! help!' came the cry" " 178
- "'Now, hold up the torch, Polly'" " 204
- "Polly continued slowly toward the bear" " 212
- "Imagine his consternation when he recognized the forms of Liney Fox and her brother Tom" 229
- "He fell a distance of ten or twelve feet, . . . and lay half stunned" 233
- En route for the castle 244
- The castle on the Brandywine 252
- "Balser hesitated to fire, fearing that he might kill Tom or one of the dogs" 263
- "Espied a doe and a fawn, standing upon the opposite side of the creek" 273
[View Figure]
"Balser was more fortunate in his aim, and gave the bear a mortal wound."