CHAPTER XVIII

BEAR STEAKS

For a moment the two parties remained watching each other narrowly--on one side the whites, and on the other the Indians, who surrounded, and far outnumbered our friends. The redmen were wrapped in their blankets, and they did not show a weapon, though it could hardly be doubted but that, under the gaudy folds, they carried rifles surreptitiously obtained.

“What’s best to do?” asked Jerry, in a low voice.

“Let’s see what they’re going to do, first,” suggested Jim Nestor. “It’s too bad we jumped out so suddenly, without even a pistol. And if we make a move to get ’em now it will only start the trouble all the sooner. If we can get along peaceably so much the better. I don’t hanker for a fight.”

The Blackfeet must have been wonderfully astonished to see such a strange craft descend so suddenly among them, but, with the characteristics of their race, they maintained a dignified silence, save for a few grunts, and an occasional low-voiced remark.

“I guess they take us for visitors from the clouds,” said Ned, in a half-whisper.

“I’m not so sure of that,” replied Jim. “I shouldn’t be surprised if some of them had seen an airship before.”

“Where?” asked Bob, half incredulously.

“Why, sometimes the government gives permission to the Indians to go out in traveling Wild West shows, and often at the exhibitions there’ll be an airship flight. Some of the Indians may have seen one, and come back to tell the others about it. In that case they wouldn’t show much surprise. But, at the same time, if they had never seen one, and if we should suddenly sprout wings, and begin flying about ourselves, they wouldn’t show any curiosity. It’s part of their training, I guess.”

But now, after the first shock of what must have been a surprise was over, the Indians seemed disposed to be friendly enough. They evidently saw that the party of whites was unarmed--at least they had no weapons in their hands, though the Indians did, as the boys and their friends could see when a breeze blew their blankets aside, disclosing the stocks of rifles held under the gay coverings.

One of the Blackfeet--evidently the leader--approached the group of whites who stood in front of the airship, and, holding up his hand, with the palm outward, an almost universal sign of peace, gravely uttered one word:

“How!”

“How!” replied Harvey Brill, and then, to the no small surprise of the boys, the old miner began a string of guttural words that caused the faces of the Indians to light up. They were being addressed in their own tongue.

“I didn’t know you could sling Blackfeet talk,” said Jim, when his partner had finished.

“Oh, I’m not much good at it, but I can manage to carry on a little conversation. It’s just as I expected, these chaps have left the reservation. They say they don’t like it there--too small,--and they want to live freer. They’re out for a good time.”

“And does that mean trouble for us?” asked Jerry.

“Well, it may and it may not. The Indians have been cooped up for a long time, and they’ve lost much of their wildness. But it never all dies out, and, once they feel that they are free--even though they know they may be punished for what they do--they may go on a rampage again--just for fun, as they think.”

“Then we’ve got to be careful,” suggested Ned, who was eyeing the redmen with interest.

“We sure have. I’ve told ’em we’re after bugs, and such like, but I don’t know whether they believe it or not. There’s one thing sure, they’ll never bother him,” and he pointed to Professor Snodgrass, who, totally oblivious to his surroundings, or any danger, was scurrying about, catching bugs and specimens in his little nets.

“Why not?” Bob wanted to know.

“Because they think he’s a little crazy--touched in the head, you know. I heard some of ’em say so. The Indians--at least most of ’em--regard a crazy person as particularly under the protection of the Great Spirit, and they’ll never harm one.”

“Then maybe we can get the professor to protect us if worst comes to worst,” suggested Ned.

“Oh, I don’t imagine anything will happen right away,” went on Harvey Brill. “They say they are going off to hunt and fish, and all they ask is to be let alone. That may be so, or it may not. Time will tell. I’ve told ’em we are flying about with the professor, and that we may disappear any moment.”

“We can’t until that rudder’s fixed--worse luck,” exclaimed Jerry. “We’ll get right at it.”

“Yes, I wouldn’t delay any longer than I had to,” spoke Jim Nestor. “Some of those fellows are rather savage looking. I wouldn’t want to anger one if I didn’t have a gun.”

“Are they much surprised at the _Comet_?” asked Bob.

“They won’t let on, if they are,” replied the miner.

The leader of the Blackfeet now addressed Harvey Brill again, and, at the close of a short conversation, the redmen, without any further greetings, filed off in the woods.

“They say they’re going to look for hunting and fishing grounds,” said the miner. “I only hope they keep away.”

“Well, let’s have something to eat, anyhow!” exclaimed Bob, with a sigh of relief, as the last of the natives disappeared.

“That’s Bob’s remedy for every kind of trouble,” cried Jerry, with a grin. “All right, Chunky. You get the grub and I’ll see what I can do with this rudder.”

Jerry found that it would take longer to fix than he anticipated, as he had to unship it.

“We’ll be here three days, anyhow,” he remarked.

“Then we might as well take it easy,” decided Ned. “I wonder if we could do any hunting around here?”

“I saw signs of bear when I was here before,” said Harvey Brill. “I shouldn’t wonder but what you might get a pop at one if you struck a trail. I’ll go along if you like. With those Blackfeet roaming around these woods I don’t like you to take chances alone.”

“Then I’ll stay here, and sort of keep on the watch in camp,” said Jim, for they had made a camp in the place where the airship had descended.

“And don’t let the professor wander too far away,” cautioned Mr. Brill, as he and Ned prepared to go on a hunt.

“I’ll have a good fire to cook any bear steaks, if you bring in any,” said Bob. Jerry was left to labor over the rudder. He needed only such help as Bob or Jim Nestor could give.

Ned and Harvey Brill traveled on for some miles without getting any sign of game. Then the miner, who had been something of a hunter in his day, came to a sudden stop, and, pointing to the ground, said:

“There are the tracks, boy!”

“Bear?” asked Ned excitedly.

“That’s what! And they’re fresh, too!”

Cautiously they followed the trail, the tracks becoming more pronounced each minute. Finally, as they turned a rocky headland, they came to a little glade, and there, feeding on some berry bushes, they saw a large brown bear.

“Get him, boy!” exclaimed Harvey, generously giving up his chance. “His back is toward us, and the wind’s blowing from him to us. Plug him right under the ear!”

Ned felt himself beginning to tremble, but he conquered the inclination, and raised his gun. The muzzle wavered a bit, but he managed to steady himself.

Suddenly the bear, as if some instinct warned him of the presence of enemies, raised his head and gave a loud “woof!” Instantly Ned fired, and to his delight he saw bruin give a convulsive leap into the air, and then whirl about, to fall a moment later.

But, before the animal reached the ground there was the report of another rifle at right angles to where our friends stood, and a puff of smoke told of the presence of another hunter.

“Someone else is after him!” exclaimed Harvey; “but you winged him first, Ned! Come on, he’s dead I guess!”

Together they sprang forward, but they had hardly reached the carcass of the bear, which was twitching in the death tremor, before there stepped from the underbrush the Blackfeet Indian leader. He held a smoking rifle in his hand, and as he stalked forward he said with a scowl:

“Me shoot! That Indian bear!”

“Get out!” cried Mr. Brill. “Those are our bear steaks! We shot him first!”

“Indian bear!” said the warrior, fiercely; and, as he raised his hand, there came out from the bushes several of his followers.