CHAPTER XIV--AT FREEZEOUT CAMP

There is nothing really savage looking about a bear unless it _is_ savage. Otherwise a bear has a rather silly looking countenance. These three bears had been walking peacefully down the trail, and were surprised at the sudden appearance of the cavalcade of ponies from around the bend, for such wind as was stirring was blowing down the trail.

The larger bear, the mother of the two half-grown cubs, instantly realized the danger of their position. It may have looked like an ursine hold-up to the tourists; but old Mother Bear was quite sure she and her cubs were in man-peril.

She growled fiercely, cuffing her cubs right and left and sending them scuttling and whining off into the bushes. She roared at the startled pony riders and did not descend from her haunches.

She looked terrible enough then. Her teeth, fully displayed, promised to tear and rend both ponies and riders if they came near enough.

Miss Cullam was speechless with fright. The ponies had halted, snorting; but for the first minute or so none of them backed away from the threatening beast.

The hair rose stiffly on the bear's neck and she uttered a second challenging growl. Tom had pulled out his automatic; but he had already learned that at any considerable distance this weapon was not to be depended upon. Min's forty-five threw a bullet where one aimed; not so the newfangled weapon.

Besides, the bear was a big one and it really looked as though a pistol ball would be an awfully silly thing to throw at it.

Rebecca Frayne had just begun to cry and Sally Blanchard was begging everybody to "come away," when Min Peters slipped around from the rear to the head of the column.

"Hold on to your horses, girls," she whispered shrilly. "Mebbe some of 'em's gun-shy. Steady now--and we'll have bear's tongue and liver for supper."

"Oh, Minnie!" squealed Helen.

Min was not to be disturbed from her purpose by any hysterical girl. She was not depending upon her forty-five for the work in hand. She had brought her father's rifle from Handy Gulch; and now it came in use most opportunely.

The bear was still on its haunches and still roaring when Min got into position. The beast was an easy mark, and the Western girl dropped on one knee, thus steadying her aim, for the rifle was heavy.

The bear roared again; then the rifle roared. The latter almost knocked Min over, the recoil was so great. But the shot quite knocked the bear over. The heavy slug of lead had penetrated the beast's heart and lungs.

She staggered forward, the blood spouted from her wide open jaws as well as from her breast; and finally she came down with a crash upon the hard trail. She was quite dead before she hit the ground.

There was screaming enough then. Everybody save Ann Hicks and Tom, perhaps, had quite lost his self-control. Such a jabbering as followed!

"Goodness me, girls," drawled Jennie Stone at last, raising her voice so as to be heard. "Goodness me! Min just wasted that perfectly good lead bullet. We could easily have talked that poor bear to death."

It had been rather a startling incident, however, and they were not likely to stop talking about it immediately. Miss Cullam was more than frightened by the event; she felt that she had been misled.

"I had no idea there were actually wild creatures like those bears in this country, Ruth Fielding. I certainly never would have come had I realized it. You could not have hired me to come on this trip."

"But, dear Miss Cullam," Ruth said, somewhat troubled because the lady was, "I really had no idea they were here."

"I assure you," Helen said soberly, "that the bears did not appear by _my_ invitation, much as I enjoy mild excitement."

"'Mild excitement'!" breathed Rebecca Frayne. "My word!"

"And those other two bears are loose and may attack us," pursued Miss Cullam.

"They were only cubs, Miss," said Min, who, with her father, was already at work removing the bear's pelt. "They're running yet. And I shouldn't have shot this critter only it might have done some damage, being mad because of its young. We may have to explain this shootin' to the game wardens. There's a closed season for bears like there is for game birds. There ain't many left."

"And do they really want to keep any of the horrid creatures _alive?_" demanded Trix Davenport.

"Yes. Bear shootin' attracts tenderfoots; and tenderfoots have money to spend. That's the how of it," explained Min.

The ponies did not like the smell of the bear, and they were all drawn ahead on the trail. But the cavalcade waited for Pedro and the burros to overtake them; then the load on one burro was transferred to the ponies and the pelt and as much of the bear meat as they could make use of in such warm weather was put upon the burro.

"Not that either the skin or the meat's much good this time o' year. She ain't got fatted up yet after sucklin' them cubs. But, anyway, you kin say ye had bear meat when you git back East," Min declared practically.

The girls went on after that with their eyes very wide open. Miss Cullam declared that she knew she never would forget how those three bears looked standing on their hind legs and "glaring" at her.

"Glaring!" repeated Jennie Stone. "All I could see was that old bear's open mouth. It quite swallowed up her eyes."

"What an acrobatic feat!" sighed Trix Davenport. "You _do_ have an imagination, Jennie Stone."

The event did not pass over as a matter for laughter altogether; the girls had really been given a severe fright. Min was obliged to ride ahead, or the tourists never would have rounded a bend in the trail in real comfort. It was probable that the Western girl had a hearty contempt for their cowardice. "But what could you expect of tenderfoots?" she grumbled to Ann Hicks.

"D'you know," said the girl from Silver Ranch to the girl guide, "that is what I used to think about these Eastern girlies--that they were only babies. But just because they are gun-shy, and are unused to many of the phases of outdoor life with which you and I are familiar, Min, doesn't make them altogether useless.

"Believe me, my dear! when it comes to book learning, and knowing how to dress, and being used to the society game, these girls from Ardmore are _sharks!_"

"I reckon that's right," agreed Min. "I watched 'em come off the train in Yucca, and they looked like they'd just stepped out of a mail-order house catalogue. Such fixin's!" and the girl who had never worn proper feminine clothing sighed longingly at the remembrance of the Ardmore girls' traveling dresses and hats.

The more Min saw of the Eastern girls, the more desirous she was of being like them--in some ways, at least. She might sneer at their lack of physical courage; nevertheless, she was well aware that they were used to many things of which she knew very little. And there never was a girl born who did not long for pretty clothes, and who did not wish to appear attractive in the eyes of others.

Helen and Jennie had not forgotten their idea of dressing their guide in some of their furbelows.

"Just wait till our trunks get to that Freezeout place, along with your movie people, Ruth," said Jennie. "We'll just doll poor Min all up."

"That's an idea!" exclaimed the girl of the Red Mill, her mind quick to absorb any suggestion relative to her art. "I can put Min in the picture--if she will agree. Show her as she is, then have her metamorphosised into a pretty girl--for she _is_ pretty."

"From the ugly caterpillar to the butterfly," cried Helen.

"A regular Bret Harte character--queen of the mining camp," said Jennie. "You can give me a share of your royalties, Ruth, for this suggestion."

Ruth had so many ideas in her head for scenes at the mining camp that she was anxious to get over the trail and reach Freezeout. By this time Mr. Hammond and his outfit must have arrived at Yucca.

The trail was rough, however, and the cavalcade of college girls could travel only about so fast. Those unfamiliar with saddle work, like Miss Cullam, found the journey hard enough.

At night they had to camp in the open, after leaving Handy Gulch; and because of the appearance of the bears, there were two guards set at night, and the fires were kept up. Tom and Pedro took half the watch, and then Min and her father took their turn.

Nothing happened of moment, however, during the three nights that ensued before the party reached the abandoned camp of Freezeout. They came down into the "draw" or arroyo in which the old mining camp lay late one afternoon. A more deserted-looking place could scarcely be imagined.

There were half a hundred log cabins, of assorted sizes and in different stages of dilapidation. The air was so dry and so little rain fell in this part of Arizona that the log walls of the structures were in fairly good condition, and not all the roofs had fallen in.

Min and her father, with Tom Cameron, searched among the cabins to find those most suitable for occupancy. But it was Ruth Fielding who discovered something that startled the whole party.

"See here! See here!" she called. "I've found something."

"What is it?" asked Tom. "More bears?"

"No. Somebody has been ahead of us here. Perhaps we are not alone in having an interest in this Freezeout place."

"What do you mean, Ruthie?" cried Helen, running to her chum.

"Here are the remains of a campfire. The ashes are still warm. Somebody camped here last night, that is sure. Do you suppose they are here now?"