Arizona -- Juvenile fiction; Boy Scouts of America -- Juvenile fiction; Western stories
"The head of Silver Tip, the giant grizzly."
"You know about him, then?" Mr. Harkness seemed much surprised. At the
time of his leaving the stranded ship he had not overheard the
conversation between his son and the Boy Scouts.
"We've seen him," put in Tubby, nodding his head very sagely.
Then of course the story of their glimpse of the monster had to come
out.
"It is unusual for Silver Tip to be about here at this time of year,"
commented Mr. Harkness. "He usually does not visit us till later. That's
an additional peril to the cattle."
"How is that?" inquired Rob.
"In two ways. In the first place, Silver Tip is what we call a rogue
grizzly. He lives all alone, hunts by himself, and has nothing to do
with any others of his kind. He is as cruel, wantonly so, as he is
formidable. For instance, last winter he killed fifty or more head of
steers just for the sheer love of killing. Then, too, he is dangerous in
another way. It takes very little to stampede a band of cattle. I have
seen them started by a jack-rabbit leaping up suddenly from the brush.
The sight of such an appalling monster as Silver Tip would be sure to
start them off. No, I certainly don't like to hear that he is about."
Not long after this remark the announcement of supper put an end to
further discussion of Silver Tip and his ways. Then and there Rob
determined in his own mind that, if it were possible, the skin of that
inaccessible monster would journey East with him when he returned.
Absurd as the idea seemed, of him, an Eastern boy, green in the ways of
the West, winning such a trophy, still Rob could not help dwelling on
it. After the meal Mr. Harkness left the house for the bunkhouse, to
give some orders to the night-riding cow-punchers. The news of the near
neighborhood of the Moquis had made him nervous and unsettled.
The evening passed away in further discussion among the boys of the
proposed mounted patrol of Boy Scouts, and before they knew it, ten
o'clock had arrived. Pretty well fatigued by the events of the day, they
were not unwilling to seek their beds, which were situated in three
small upper rooms, directly above the big main living room.
Rob was just dropping off into unconsciousness when he heard a
clattering of hoofs outside. Somebody had ridden up to the ranch house
at full speed.
"Who is it?" he heard asked in Mr. Harkness's voice.
"It's me--Pete Bell," an excited voice rejoined, evidently that of the
horseman who had just arrived.
"Well, Pete, what is it?" inquired the voice of Mr. Harkness once more.
"Why, sir, you know I was one of the bunch you sent to the far pasture
to-night."
"Yes, yes! Go on, man! What is it--the Indians?"
"No, sir, no Indians. But, sir, we've seen it again."
"What, that foolish ghost-story thing! Haven't you fellows got over
harping on that yet?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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