Page:Edward Ellis--Alden the Pony Express Rider.djvu/232

 notice that the pony was riderless and they would understand why.

He tried to force the bullet down the barrel of the gun. In vain; then he savagely strove to chew it down to the right size. If he succeeded with one missile before he could compress a second into shape the crisis would be upon him.

He had just inserted the metal between his molars in the despairing effort to reduce the size of the same, when his hair almost lifted the hat from his head. From the direction of the trail came a guttural whoofing sound, its repetition showing that the cause was drawing nearer.

Before he could guess what the curious noise meant his eyes told him the truth. An enormous bear, dark in color, came swinging forward from the direction of the ridge. His waddling, lumbering gait, and his vast bulk left no doubt of his identity. In any circumstances he would have been a most formidable foe to meet.

“It’s a grizzly!” whispered Alden, shrinking behind the boulder so low that only by taking off his hat was he barely able to peer over.