Grizzly Page 3

  She didn’t come back.

  As fast as he could move, Justin headed in the opposite direction. He didn’t care where he was going as long as it was away from the grizzly.

  CHAPTER 12

  He was hopelessly lost. Justin put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Every tree he passed looked the same as a thousand others.

  His stomach yearned for food, and his arm hurt all the time now, making it hard to think about anything except the pain. But he had to keep moving. At least that was the way he figured it. If the bear came looking for him again, he wanted to be far away.

  A twig snapped. Justin jumped and looked around. It was only a deer running for cover.

  When he had panicked and run earlier, he had moved away from the river. Now he was wishing he had stayed with it. He could almost taste the cool water, and with any luck he might have been able to snag a trout. Instead he was in the middle of a wilderness with nothing to drink or eat.

  He studied the angle of the sun and made a guess at the location of the river.

  He walked for a couple of hours. A strange humming sound was coming from somewhere to the east. The closer he moved to the noise, the louder it became, until it was almost a roar.

  Pulling back some branches, Justin suddenly saw before him a magnificent waterfall. It tumbled over the edge of a thirty-foot drop. He ran to the river’s edge and scooped sloppy handfuls of water into his dry mouth.

  He wiped his face with the sleeve of his coat and stepped back. He recalled seeing a waterfall on a map of this area. If he remembered correctly, there were hiking trails and a ranger station near here.

  Hope welled up inside him. If he could find one of those trails …

  He heard a growl behind him. He turned in time to see the grizzly charge. She came thundering out of the trees straight at him.

  There was nowhere to hide. He backed into the water. The bear didn’t slow down. She hit him full force, knocking him onto his back in the river.

  She reached for him, but the river was faster. The current jerked him out to the center and shoved him under, pulling him toward the waterfall.

  The grizzly went in after him. The water slammed into her, knocking her off balance. She struggled, but the swift water was too strong.

  CHAPTER 13

  Justin felt as if he had been run over by a train. His head was pounding. He raised himself on his elbows and discovered he was still in the water. But the waterfall was above him now.

  He remembered going over. It was like a bad dream. He’d had the sensation of flying—until he’d hit bottom.

  A sour smell came to his nostrils, the smell of grizzly. He sat up, his eyes darting all around. There she was, lying on her back halfway out of the water.

  Justin stood up to run. But the bear didn’t move. Her eyes were closed, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

  He should have been glad that at last the great bear was dead. But he wasn’t. This was the killer that had murdered Blue and the other sheep. This grizzly had put Mr. Miller out of business and had tried more than once to kill Justin too.

  But Justin couldn’t bring himself to be happy. The bear had been smart. And if it hadn’t been for her pulling him out, he’d probably still be trapped under the burn.

  Justin waded to shore and gave the great bear one last look. Then he started walking. A few yards from the riverbank he spotted a well-used hiking trail.

  His steps grew faster. The sun was going down. He wasn’t going to spend another night in the mountains if he could help it.

  Walking was easier now. The path curved downhill. Justin rounded a corner and almost ran smack into a tall, dark-haired forest ranger dressed in a green uniform.

  “Hold on, son. What’s the … hey, you look awful! Are you hurt?”

  Justin managed a thin smile. “I think my arm’s broken. Boy, am I glad to see you.”

  “Here. Sit on this log and let me take a look.” The ranger took his knife and slit the sleeve of Justin’s coat. “What are you doing up here? Hiking?”

  “It’s a long story. I live on the McCallister ranch on the other side of Moosehead. My name’s Justin McCallister.”

  “I know a McCallister. Mack McCallister.”

  “He’s my uncle.”

  “You’re a long way from home, son. What on earth are you doing way over here?”

  Justin looked at the ground. “I went after a bear. A grizzly. She broke into our place and killed my pet lamb.”

  The ranger ran his fingers expertly down Justin’s arm. “It’s broken, all right.” He stood. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just told me. Considering I’d have to lock you up if I had heard it.”

  “Oh, I didn’t kill her. She’s dead, though. We tangled at the waterfall. She fell over and must have hit her head on a rock or something. Anyway, she’s lying on the bank if you want to go look.”

  The ranger sighed. “I guess I’d better. Can you hang on here for a few minutes?”

  Justin nodded. “As long as you promise to come back.”

  The ranger smiled. “Promise.” He turned and trotted up the trail.

  Justin held his aching arm. He’d learned a lot in the past two days, not just about bears but also about himself.

  He’d been so sure of himself before, and so angry. He sighed. Uncle Mack probably wouldn’t be too happy with him, and Aunt Polly … well, he’d be grounded for at least ten years.

  The ranger took longer than Justin thought he should. Justin stood and was about to go looking when he heard footsteps coming down the trail.

  The ranger loped into sight. “Sorry I took so long. I wasn’t sure exactly where to look.”

  “That’s okay. Are you going to have someone come up and bury her?”

  “I hate to break this to you, son, but there’s nothing up there to bury. I searched both sides of the river and finally found her tracks heading off into the woods. That grizzly’s as alive as you and me.”

  Justin sat back on the log and sighed.

  The ranger misunderstood. “Don’t let it worry you. We’ll have a team up here tomorrow to look into this. If that bear is a problem, we’ll take care of it.”

  “I wasn’t worried. This may sound kind of funny, but I’m glad she didn’t die.”

  The ranger shrugged as he rigged a sling for Justin’s arm with his belt. He helped Justin to his feet. “Come on, son. Let’s get you home.”

  “Believe me, I’m ready.”

  GRIZZLY BEARS

  The Bear Essentials—Facts About Grizzly Bears

  Grizzlies are found in the western United States and northern Canada.

  Grizzlies are endangered in many areas.

  Adult grizzly bears are usually six to eight feet tall from tip of nose to tail and can weigh between four hundred and a thousand pounds.

  The grizzly’s life span is fifteen to twenty-five years.

  Grizzlies are omnivorous (they eat both meat and plants), but about eighty-five percent of their diet is plant material. They eat twenty-five to thirty-five pounds of food a day!

  You can tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear by the hump of muscle between the grizzly’s shoulders. Also, a grizzly’s claws are longer and its toes are straighter and closer together than a black bear’s.

  If a human baby grew at the same rate as a grizzly cub, the baby would weigh six thousand pounds by the time it became an adult.

  One of the greatest dangers for grizzly cubs is adult grizzly bears, which sometimes catch and eat the cubs.

  Grizzly Survival Tips—Hiking and Camping in Grizzly Bear Country

  Respect all bears. Never approach or feed a bear.

  Be aware. Bears can run as fast as horses—uphill or downhill.

  If you’re camping or hiking in an area where grizzly bears might live, be alert. Make noise as you hike by singing or occasionally calling out. You don’t want to surprise a grizzly!

  Bears are attracted to the sme
ll of food. When camping, don’t sleep in the same clothes you cook food in. Store food so that bears can’t smell or reach it, and never keep any food in your tent.

  Don’t miss all the exciting action!

  Read the other action-packed books in

  Gary Paulsen’s

  WORLD OF ADVENTURE!

  The Legend of Red Horse Cavern

  Will Little Bear Tucker and his friend Sarah Thompson have heard the eerie Apache legend many times. Will’s grandfather especially loves to tell them about Red Horse—an Indian brave who betrayed his people, was beheaded, and now haunts the Sacramento Mountain range, searching for his head. To Will and Sarah it’s just a story—until they decide to explore a newfound mountain cave, a cave filled with dangerous treasures.

  Deep underground, Will and Sarah uncover an old chest stuffed with a million dollars. But now armed bandits are after them. When they find a gold Apache statue hidden in a skull, it seems Red Horse is hunting them, too. Then they lose their way, and each step they take in the damp, dark cavern could be their last.

  Rodomonte’s Revenge

  Friends Brett Wilder and Tom Houston are video game whizzes. So when a new virtual reality arcade called Rodomonte’s Revenge opens near their home, they make sure they’re its first customers. The game is awesome. There are flaming fire rivers to jump, beastly buzz-bugs to fight, and ugly tunnel spiders to escape. If they’re good enough they’ll face Rodomonte, an evil giant waiting to do battle within his hidden castle.

  But soon after they play the game, strange things start happening to Brett and Tom. The computer is taking over their minds. Now everything that happens in the game is happening in real life. A buzz-bug could gnaw off their ears. Rodomonte could smash them to bits. Brett and Tom have no choice but to play Rodomonte’s Revenge again. This time they’ll be playing for their lives.

  Escape from Fire Mountain

  “… please, anybody … fire … need help.”

  That’s the urgent cry thirteen-year-old Nikki Roberts hears over the CB radio the weekend she’s left alone in her family’s hunting lodge. The message also says that the sender is trapped near a bend in the river. Nikki knows it’s dangerous, but she has to try to help. She paddles her canoe downriver, coming closer to the thick black smoke of the forest fire with each stroke. When she reaches the bend, Nikki climbs onshore. There, covered with soot and huddled on a rock ledge, sit two small children.

  Nikki struggles to get the children to safety. Flames roar around them. Trees splinter to the ground. But as Nikki tries to escape the fire, she doesn’t know that two poachers are also hot on her trail. They fear that she and the children have seen too much of their illegal operation—and they’ll do anything to keep the kids from making it back to the lodge alive.

  The Rock Jockeys

  Devil’s Wall.

  Rick Williams and his friends J.D. and Spud—the Rock Jockeys—are attempting to become the first and youngest climbers to ascend the north face of their area’s most treacherous mountain. They’re also out to discover if a B-17 bomber rumored to have crashed into the mountain years ago is really there.

  As the Rock Jockeys explore Devil’s Wall, they stumble upon the plane’s battered shell. Inside, they find items that seem to have belonged to the crew, including a diary written by the navigator. Spud later falls into a deep hole and finds something even more frightening: a human skull and bones. To find out where they might have come from, the boys read the navigator’s story in the diary. It reveals a gruesome secret that heightens the dangers the mountain might hold for the Rock Jockeys.

  Hook ’Em, Snotty!

  Bobbie Walker loves working on her grandfather’s ranch. She hates the fact that her cousin Alex is coming up from Los Angeles to visit and will probably ruin her summer. Alex can barely ride a horse and doesn’t know the first thing about roping. There is no way Alex can survive a ride into the flats to round up wild cattle. But Bobbie is going to have to let her tag along anyway.

  Out in the flats the weather turns bad. Even worse, Bobbie knows that she’ll have to watch out for the Bledsoe boys, two mischievous brothers who are usually up to no good. When the boys rustle the girls’ cattle, Bobbie and Alex team up to teach the Bledsoes a lesson. But with the wild bull Diablo on the loose, the fun and games may soon turn deadly serious.

  Danger on Midnight River

  Daniel Martin doesn’t want to go to Camp Eagle Nest. He wants to spend the summer as he always does: with his uncle Smitty in the Rocky Mountains. Daniel is a slow learner, but most other kids call him retarded. Daniel knows that at camp, things are only going to get worse. His nightmare comes true when he and three bullies must ride the camp van together.

  On the trip to camp, Daniel is the butt of the bullies’ jokes. He ignores them and concentrates on the roads outside. He thinks they may be lost. As the van crosses a wooden bridge, the planks suddenly give way. The van plunges into the raging river below. Daniel struggles to shore, but the driver and the other boys are nowhere to be found. It’s freezing, and night is setting in. Daniel faces a difficult decision. He could save himself … or risk everything to try to rescue the others, too.

  The Gorgon Slayer

  Eleven-year-old Warren Trumbull has a strange job. He works for Prince Charming’s Damsel in Distress Rescue Agency, saving people from hideous monsters, evil warlocks, and wicked witches. Then one day Warren gets the most dangerous assignment of all: He must exterminate a Gorgon.

  Gorgons are horrible creatures. They have green scales, clawed fingers, and snakes for hair. They also have the power to turn people to stone. Warren doesn’t want to be a stone statue for the rest of his life. He’ll need all his courage and skill—and his secret plan—to become a true Gorgon slayer.

  The Gorgon howls as Warren enters the dark basement to do battle. Warren lowers his eyes, raises his sword and shield, and leaps into action. But will his plan work?

  Captive!

  Roman Sanchez is trying hard to deal with the death of his dad—a SWAT team member gunned down in the line of duty. But Roman’s nightmare is just beginning.

  When masked gunmen storm into his classroom, Roman and three other boys are taken hostage. They are thrown into the back of a truck and hauled to a run-down mountain cabin, miles from anywhere. They are bound with rope and given no food. With each passing hour the kidnappers’ deadly threats become even more real.

  Roman knows time is running out. Now he must somehow put his dad’s death behind him so that he and the others can launch a last desperate fight for freedom.

  The Treasure of El Patrón

  Tag Jones and his friend Cowboy spend their days diving in the azure water surrounding Bermuda. It’s not just for fun—Tag knows that somewhere in the coral reef there’s a sunken ship full of treasure. His father died in a diving accident looking for the ship, and Tag won’t give up until he finds it.

  Then the ship’s manifest of the Spanish galleon El Patrón turns up, and Tag can barely contain his excitement. El Patrón sank in 1614, carrying “unknown cargo.” Tag knows that this is the ship his father was looking for. And he’s not the least bit scared off by the rumors that El Patrón is cursed. But when two tourists want Tag to retrieve some mysterious sunken parcels for them, Tag and Cowboy may be in dangerous water, way over their heads!

  Skydive!

  Jesse Rodriguez has a pretty exciting job for a thirteen-year-old, working at a small flight and skydiving school near Seattle. Buck Sellman, the owner of the school, lets Jesse help out around the airport and is teaching him all about skydiving. Jesse can’t wait until he’s sixteen and old enough to make his first jump.

  Then Robin Waterford walks in with her father one day to sign up for lessons, and strange things start to happen. Photographs that Robin takes of the airfield mysteriously disappear from her locker. And Robin and Jesse discover that someone at the airfield is involved in an illegal transportation operation. Jesse and Robin soon find themselves in the middle of real dang
er and are forced to make their first skydives very unexpectedly—using only one parachute!

  The Seventh Crystal

  Chosen One,

  The ancient palace lies in the Valley of Zon. It is imperative that you come immediately. You are my last hope. Look for the secret path. The stars will lead the way. Take care. The eyes of Mogg are everywhere.

  As if school bullies weren’t enough of a problem, now Chris Masters has a computer game pushing him around! Ever since The Seventh Crystal arrived anonymously in the mail one day, Chris has been obsessed with it—it’s the most challenging game he’s ever played. But when the game starts to take over, Chris is forced to face a lean, mean, medieval bully.

  The Creature of Black Water Lake

  Thirteen-year-old Ryan Swanner and his mom just moved to the mountain resort of Black Water Lake. The locals say that beneath the lake’s seemingly calm surface, a giant, ancient creature lives. But Ryan’s new friend Rita tells him that’s just hogwash. She’s not afraid to go fishing out on the lake, even though, oddly, the lake seems to be nearly empty of fish. One day Ryan sees a small animal fall from a tree into the lake—and never surface again. Something is in the lake. And it’s alive.…

  Time Benders

  Superbrain Zack Griffin and hoops fanatic Jeff Brown wouldn’t normally hang together. But when both boys win trips to a famous science laboratory, they find out they have one thing in common: a serious case of curiosity. And when they sneak into the lab to check out the time-bending machine again, they end up in Egypt—in 1350 B.C.!

  OTHER YEARLING BOOKS YOU WILL ENJOY:

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  SHILOH, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

  MISSING MAY, Cynthia Rylant

  THE SECRET FUNERAL OF SLIM JIM THE SNAKE,

  Elvira Woodruff