I began to fight back, to punch and kick him.
Suddenly, with a crashing in the bushes, the cub was hauled away from me,
and then I saw Hiram at the rope.
"Wal, wal!" he ejaculated, "your own mother wouldn't own you now!" Then he
laughed heartily and chuckled to himself, and gave the cub a couple of
jerks that took the mischief out of him. I dragged myself after Hiram into
the glade. The cabin was large and very old, and part of the roof was
sunken in.
"We'll hang up here an' camp," said Hiram. "This is an old hunters' cabin,
an' kinder out of the way. We'll hitch this little fighter inside, where
mebbe he won't be so noisy."
The hunter hauled the cub up short, and half pulled, half lifted him into
the door. I took off my rifle, emptied my pockets of brush and beat out the
dust, and combed the pine-needles from my hair. My hands were puffed and
red, and smarted severely. And altogether I was in no amiable frame of mind
as regarded my captive bear cub.
When I stepped inside the cabin it was dark, and coming from the bright
light I could not for a moment see what the interior looked like. Presently
I made out one large room with no opening except the door. There was a
tumble-down stone fireplace at one end, and at the other a rude ladder led
up to a loft. Hiram had thrown his pack aside, and had tied Cubby to a peg
in the log wall.
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