CHAPTER XXV
A BEAR ON THE RAMPAGE
"Hoop-la!"
All a-spangle, to the blare of quick music, the great tent ablaze withlight, the rows of benches crush-crowded with excited humanity, AndyWildwood left the spring-board. For a second he whirled in midair. Then,gracefully landing on the padded carpet, he made his bow amid pleasedplaudits and rejoined the row of fellow tumblers.
"You've caught the knack," spoke the ringmaster encouragingly. "Becareful on the double somersault, though."
"It's just as easy to me," asserted Andy.
He proved his words when his turn came again. He was breathless but allaglow, as he and his seven fellow acrobats bowed in a row and retired tothe performers' tent.
Andy was delighted with himself, his comrades, hisenvironment--everything. In fact, a constant glamour of excitement andenjoyment had come into his life.
This was the second day after his strange interview with his aunt. Itwas the last evening performance of the show at Tipton.
Andy had been away from the circus for two days. The morning afterhanding in the contracts, the manager had selected him to accompany thechief hostler and four of his assistants on a trip into the country.
The show was to make a long jump after closing the engagement at Tipton.While Mr. Harding joined a second enterprise he owned in the West, thepresent outfit was to take up a route in the South.
Many of those connected with the show were to leave. This cut theworking force down. They had too many horses, and with a string of fiftyof these the chief hostler started out to sell off the same.
The expedition continued a day and a half. When Andy came back, he foundhimself in time for two rehearsals. That evening he made his firstappearance in public as a real professional.
Outside of the charm of being seen, appreciated and applauded by others,Andy loved the vigorous exercise of the spring-board. The mechanicalathletic and acrobatic equipments of the show were superb. He made uphis mind he could about live among the balancing bars and trapezes, ifthey would let him.
One disappointment Andy met with that somewhat troubled him. When hecame back from the horse-selling expedition, he found that Luke Beldinghad left the show.
Billy Blow told Andy that Luke had been to his tent a dozen times to seehim. That morning early, before Andy's return, the side show Luke waswith had packed up and shipped by train to join a show going east.
"So I'll never find out what I'm heir to," smiled Andy. "Oh, well, ofcourse it was some absurd guess of Luke's. It's funny, though. Thatfellow, Jim Tapp, had the same delusion. By the way, Aunt Lavinia seemsto have been in earnest. Nobody appears to be looking for me to go backto Fairview. I am free to do as I choose. Now, then, to make a record."
Sunday was passed at Tipton. Of the better class in the show, nearly allthe lady performers and some of the men went to church, and Andy wentalso. In the afternoon Billy Blow went the rounds of some friends, andtook Andy with him.
It revealed a new phase of circus life, the domestic side, to Andy.There was no "shop talk." The boy passed a pleasant hour among severalvery charming family circles.
Next day everybody pitched into genuine hard work. The circus train hadbeen sent for, and occupied a long railroad siding.
Andy was amazed at the system and order of the proposed transit. Thetrain was on a big scale. The manager had a car to himself. The starperformers were cared for in luxurious parlor coaches. Even the minoremployees were well-housed, and feeding arrangements for man and beastwere perfect.
In order to reach their destination, which was Montgomery, a centralsouthern city, the train made many shifts from one railway line toanother. This took time, and necessitated many unpleasant stoppagesand waits.
It was the second day of the trip when they were side-tracked at alittle way station. Here it was given out they would remain from noonuntil midnight, awaiting a fruit express which would pick them up anddeliver them at terminus.
Billy Blow, his Boy Midget, and Andy had a compartment in a tourists'car. When the long stop was announced, Andy was glad to get a chance tostretch his limbs.
He interested himself for more than an hour watching the menagerie menattend to the animals. They were fed and watered, their quarters neatlyrenovated, while a veterinarian went from cage to cage examining themprofessionally and treating those that were sick or ailing.
Big Bob, the star bear of the show, had in some way run a great sliverinto one paw. This had festered the flesh, and bruin, bound with stoutropes, had been brought out of his cage on a wheeled litter, and laid onthe grass for careful treatment.
Andy watched the skilful doctoring of the big, bellowing fellow withcuriosity. Then he strolled off into a stretch of timber to enjoy abrief walk.
He reached a deliciously cool and shady nook, and threw himself down atthe mossy trunk of a tree to rest in the midst of fresh air, peacefulsolitude and merrily singing birds.
Andy was lost in a soothing day dream when a great rustle made him situp, startled.
A dark object passed close by him in and out among the bushes. It was ofgreat size, and was making its way fast and furiously.
"I declare!" cried Andy, springing to his feet, "if it isn't the bear.Now how in the world did he get loose?"
Andy stood for a moment staring in wonder after the disappearing animal.It was certainly Big Bob. The animal was fully familiar to Andy. Thebeast wobbled to one side as it ran, and this the boy discerned was dueto the sore paw. He was a fugitive, and his escape had been discovered.Andy could surmise this from shouts and calls in the distance, back inthe direction of the circus train.
Big Bob had a bad reputation with the menagerie men. At times placid andeven good-natured, on other occasions he was capricious, savage anddangerous. Even his trainer had narrowly escaped a death blow from oneof the animal's enormous paws when the brute was in one of its tantrums.
The bear was lumbering along as if bent on getting a good start againstpursuit. He chose a sheltered route as if instinctively cunning. Andy,acting on a quick impulse, started after the bear.
The route led up a hill. Big Bob scaled a moderately steep incline anddisappeared over its crest.
Andy, reaching this, glanced backwards. From that height he could lookwell over the country.
The belated train was in sight. From it, armed with pikes and ropes, adozen or more menagerie men were running.
The alarm had spread to the settlement of houses near by. Andy sawseveral men armed with shotguns and rifles scouring adjacent woodstretches.
"I won't dare to tackle the bear, but I'll try and run him down till hegets tired," thought Andy.
He remembered many a discussion of the menagerie men over the realdanger and loss involved in the escape of an animal. The fugitive rarelydid much damage except to hen roosts, beyond scaring human beings. Thetrouble was that armed farmers, pursuing, thought it great sport tobring down the fugitive with a shot. Big Bob was worth a good deal ofmoney to the show. The principal aim of the menagerie men, therefore,was to prevent the slaughter of an escaped animal.
Down the hill bruin ran and Andy after him. Then there was a countryroad and Big Bob put down this. Andy could easily outrun the fugitive,but this was not his policy for the present. The disabled foot of theanimal diminished his normal speed. Andy believed that bruin would soonfind and harbor himself in some cozy nook.
At a turn in the road Andy noticed that there was a house a few hundredfeet ahead. Beyond this several other dwellings were scattered about thelandscape.
"I don't like that," mused Andy. "It may mean trouble. I'd rather seethe old scamp take to the open country. Wonder if I can head him off?"
Andy leaped a field fence. He doubled his pace, got even with Big Bob,then ahead of him. He snatched up a pitchfork lying across a heap ofhay, and bolted over the fence to the road again.
Extending the implement, he stood ready to challenge the approachingfugitive, and, if possible, turn bruin's course.
Bi
g Bob did not appear to notice Andy until about fifty feet distantfrom him. Then the animal lifted his shaggy head. His eyes glared, hiscollar bristled.
With a deep, menacing roar the bear increased his speed. He headeddefiantly for the pronged barrier which Andy extended. Big Bob ransquarely upon the pitchfork. Its prongs grazed the animal's breast.
Andy experienced a shock. He was forced back, thrown flat, and the nextminute picked himself up from the shallow ditch at the side of the roadinto which he had fallen.
"Well," commented Andy, staring down the road, "he's a good one!"
Big Bob had never stopped. He was putting ahead for dear life. Andywatched him near the farm house.
The animal turned in at a road gateway. He ran rapidly up to an openwindow at the side of the house.
Its sill held something, Andy could not precisely make out what at thedistance he was from the spot. He fancied, however, that it was dishesholding pies or some other food, put out to cool.
Big Bob arose erect on his hind legs, his fore feet rested on the windowsill. His great muzzle dipped into whatever it held.
At that moment from inside the farmhouse there rang out the mostcurdling yell Andy Wildwood had ever heard.
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