Fortune's Bride (36 page)

She would gladly have finished her remark, but Robert had
moved ahead, turning briefly to advise that they go single file and not talk
until the path was less dangerous. The advice was too good to ignore. They were
well up toward the crest now, and the track wound back and forth, sometimes
threading its way between the shoulder of the mountain and a precipitous drop.
More than once Esmeralda bitterly regretted choosing adventure over safety, but
it was too late to change her mind. The way back—supposing they could find a
place to turn back—was as bad as the way forward.

All Esmeralda could do was keep her eyes fixed on the path
itself, praying that she would not disgrace herself by giving way to panic. Her
endurance was not strained to the uttermost, fortunately, before long they came
out on the crest, which was not, as she had feared, a sharp peak. The area was
broad, and the down-slope seemed to be more gentle. As she caught her breath
she thanked God she had not complained. When Robert turned to gesture her
forward and point out the magnificence of the scene, his eyes were glowing with
pleasure. Not for the world would Esmeralda have dampened that enjoyment. If it
killed her, she resolved, she would follow wherever he led.

Almost as if she were being rewarded for her resolution,
Robert pointed downward and said, “Look. Isn’t that lovely? Shall we eat
there?”

Below them, the hillside became wooded, but at some time in
the past either a tremor of the earth or a natural fault had caused part of the
mountain to fall. The result was a small, flat valley, sheltered to the east
and west by the remaining lower rises of the hillside. Catching the full force
of the southern sun, the area was obviously warmer than its surroundings. The
trees and brush on the nearby hillsides had not yet lost their leaves, while
the valley, treeless itself except for a few saplings, was covered by a lush
carpet of grasses studded with autumn wildflowers and watered by a sparkling
stream that tumbled from the cliff behind it.

Esmeralda gasped with pleasure and agreed eagerly to
Robert’s suggestion. She was so delighted with the prospect that the downward
path, which was in some ways more dangerous than the climb they had completed,
held no terror for her. They found a place not far from the stream, where
several upstanding boulders would serve as backrests to complete their comfort
while they ate.

Robert released the food hamper and the blankets from their
fastenings on the saddles. Then while Esmeralda spread the blanket and laid out
the meal, he loosened the girths on Hermes and Boa Viagem and fastened them
lightly to some bushes nearby, where they could graze. He was not much
concerned about the horses even if they should get loose. Both were well
trained and would usually come if called.

Robert seated himself on the blanket and examined the
luncheon Esmeralda had laid out. He had a passing thought that this was the
moment to continue the “distinguishing attentions” he meant to pay his wife,
but the ride had made him very hungry, and it seemed to him that romantic
compliments were better paid when one’s mouth was free of food. Thus, he
addressed himself to eating and those brief comments, such as “Please pass the
salt” and “This is excellent ham”, natural to a picnic. He noted with pleasure
and amusement that Esmeralda, sensible and delightful woman that she was, was
also reserving her attention to what was on her plate.

Before they had finished, both heard a rustling in the
wooded area of the eastern hillside. Robert turned at once to look at the
horses, but they were where he had left them, innocently engaged with the
nearby herbage. Relieved of his concern that one of the animals had wandered
away, he took a sip of his wine and began to consider how to introduce the
subject of his growing admiration for his wife.

He did not give any conscious thought to the sound he had
heard. The immediate area was sparsely populated because it was unsuitable for
farming, but all around it was countryside that had been cultivated and used as
grazing land for many generations. At the back of Robert’s mind was the
conviction that any large predators would have been exterminated long ago. He
assumed the rustling was caused by deer that had been startled by their voices
or scent.

Before he had put down his glass or really completed his
thought, the gentle rustling was replaced by a much louder disturbance—and the
sound was coming toward them, not moving away. Robert leapt to his feet,
suddenly remembering that it was not only sheep and goats that were grazed in
this region but also the fighting bulls of Spain. Four long strides took him to
Hermes, and he seized his pistol from the saddle holster. The horse, startled
by his rapid movement, threw up his head and whinnied. Behind Robert a
snuffling grunt came in reply.

Esmeralda had jumped to her feet a moment after Robert. She,
too, had ignored the rustling in the brush, not because she knew anything about
the area but because she was facing the horses and could see they were
undisturbed. She had passed through parts of India where large predators
roamed, but always the uneasiness of the horses had warned her father and the
rest of their party of the presence of dangerous beasts. She had jumped up
because of Robert’s movement, and her eyes were on him, but an instant later
the violent crashing in the brush caused her to whirl around.

Disbelief and terror froze Esmeralda into absolute stillness.
A huge, shaggy form had burst into the open and was advancing on her with the
speed of a runaway horse. She wanted to scream, but her mouth would not open
and her throat was sealed shut. Even her breathing seemed suspended. And then
the sight of the animal was shut out by Robert’s blue shoulder as he swept her
behind him. If anything, that was more terrifying. To be left alone facing the
monster after Robert had been struck down was worse than being struck down
first herself. Esmeralda fought for breath and took a faltering step sideways,
seeing for the first time that Robert had his pistol trained on the animal.
Relief brought air rushing into her lungs, but fear made her hold her breath
again when he did not press the trigger.

“Shoot!” Esmeralda whispered, terrified anew by the idea
that Robert, too, was frozen with fear. “Shoot!”

Robert did not even hiss for silence, so fixed was his
concentration. His first sight of their attacker had filled him with a despair
almost equal to Esmeralda’s terror. A bull, he had been sure, would have been
startled away by the sound of the pistol. They were aggressive animals, but
not, after all, carnivores. And if the sound of the gun had not diverted the
bull, Robert had intended to try to hit it on the broad head between the horns.
Even if the pistol ball did not kill the beast—which was possible, for they
were thickheaded animals and Robert did not intend to wait until the animal was
very close—the blow in the face would surely stop or turn it. Then he would
have time to finish the job or just let it go.

But it was no bull that was careening across the open ground
toward him. It was a bear!

Robert’s disbelief was almost equal to his horror. There
should be no bears in this area. This was not a wilderness. It was many miles
to the real mountains of the Sierra de Peña da Francia. Despair choked him.
There was little chance that the sound of a pistol would frighten off a monster
that charged with such determination. He had no choice but to try to kill the
beast. But a pistol ball that struck anywhere except in the brain would be
about as much deterrent as a rap with a lady’s fan, and the narrow head of a
bear, obscured by the heavy fur, was a much more difficult target than the
broad head of a bull. Worse yet, the lolloping gait of a bear made its head bob
irregularly.

Robert realized that he would have to fire at nearly
point-blank range. He reached behind him to push Esmeralda away, but she had
already moved aside and he dared not take his eyes from the bear. He prayed she
was running—until he heard her whisper. He nearly did fire at that moment, but
just as his finger tensed, the bear slowed and rose abruptly on its hind legs.
Robert uttered a strangled oath. To shoot into the body was nearly useless, but
if the animal was about to launch itself at them—

Robert’s thought was abruptly shattered as Esmeralda
shrieked, “No, don’t! It’s dancing, Robert. It’s dancing.”

For one long moment he stood with his arm extended and then
allowed it to drop. Merry was right. The beast was dancing. Paws lifted and
bent, the bear turned slowly in place, making little shuffling steps. As it
came around, Robert could see the ring through its nose, and, as it lifted its
head and uttered snuffling whines, he noticed that it also wore a broad collar.
Obviously the animal was tame, but where was its keeper?

The same thought was in Esmeralda’s mind, and she tore her
eyes from the slowly gyrating animal to scan the woods. But there was no sound
or movement other than—Esmeralda gasped—than the terrified whinnying of the
horses and the drumbeat of their hooves. “The horses—” she began, and then
gasped again as the bear dropped to all fours and began to approach.

“Back away slowly,” Robert said. “I’m pretty sure it’s the
lunch it wants. Just don’t startle it.”

As he spoke, he reached out with his left hand and grasped
Esmeralda by the wrist. His touch reduced her anxiety enough so that she was
able to suppress her urge to run. It was all very well to know a bear was
supposed to be tame, but without its keeper she was frightened by its approach.
However, it did not rush them, but shambled forward slowly, snuffling and
whining. Strangely, when it came to the blanket, it hesitated and looked up at
them.

“Yes,” Robert said, “eat.”

Although it was improbable that the animal should understand
commands in English, it must have sensed assent or approval in Robert’s voice.
It snapped up the half loaf of bread that had been left. As this disappeared,
Robert increased the pace at which he and Esmeralda were moving away.

“Turn around,” he said to her. “Look for the horses.”

“I see them,” she whispered a moment later. “Thank God
horses are so stupid. They’ve only run into the trees instead of dashing off
down the road. The brush must have caught them. They’re still moving, but
slowly.”

“Go after them,” Robert ordered. “Go as fast as you can
without running. If the bear moves, I’ll tell you what to do.”

He released her wrist, and Esmeralda had to bite back a
whimper of protest. She would be moving farther from the bear, but that was
small comfort. Actually she felt safer where she was with Robert touching her,
but her panic was over, and her mind was in control. Obviously it was necessary
to catch the horses, and that was less dangerous than facing the bear. Besides,
Robert had a pistol.

By the time Esmeralda had caught her skittish mare, however,
Robert had determined that the bear offered little threat. Once shock and fear
no longer exaggerated what he saw, he realized that the “huge” animal was not
huge at all. As bears go, it was rather small. There was further evidence that
the bear had been raised by men. When the bread was gone, it ate whatever was
left on the plates and then began to sniff the picnic basket, but although it
pawed it experimentally and even turned it over, it made no attempt to tear the
basket open. Finally it lifted its head, looked at Robert, and whined, almost
like a dog.

With a shock, he realized that the poor creature had no
claws. He had also noticed that if one discounted the thick fur, the bear was
unnaturally thin. It occurred to Robert that without claws it could not dig for
the roots and grubs that made up a good part of the diet of bears in the wild,
nor could it catch fish. And then, when he did not respond to its whining and
open the basket, the animal rose to its hind legs and began, pathetically, to
dance again. Robert could not resist the appeal. He moved forward, eyeing the
beast warily, but it only snuffled and shuffled about with more energy, as if
realizing a reward was coming.

Having hurriedly dumped the contents of the picnic basket,
Robert withdrew, chiding himself for taking such a chance. Nonetheless, now he
felt no uneasiness at turning his head to see how Esmeralda was making out with
the horses. To his relief, he saw that she already had Boa Viagem’s reins in
hand, but Hermes was proving more difficult to catch. The horse knew her, of
course, but in his nervous state he was not prepared to allow anyone to
approach too close. Moreover, Esmeralda was hindered by needing to hold Boa
Viagem and pull her through the brush each time she moved toward Hermes.

Robert glanced back at the bear and saw it happily engaged
in devouring every edible item. He moved slowly away, glancing back now and
again, but his movement did not seem to arouse any interest. About halfway
across the field, after a last glance, he uncocked his pistol, put it into his
pocket, and called softly to Esmeralda that he would catch Hermes himself.
However, no sooner were the words out of his mouth than Esmeralda uttered a cry
of consternation as Boa Viagem almost tore loose from her grip and Hermes tried
to bolt again.

Turning swiftly, Robert saw the bear hurrying after him. He
growled an oath, but his irritation was mixed with amusement, and he did not reach
for his gun. Half a chicken dangled from the animal’s mouth, and without
stopping, it was trying, by tossing its head and snapping, to get hold of the
portion that was slipping away. The chicken dropped. The bear hesitated and
whined anxiously and then, when it saw Robert standing still, began to root
around in the tall grass for the tidbit it had dropped.

Boa Viagem had almost stopped struggling, and Hermes, whose
dangling reins had tangled in some bushes, was snorting nervously but not
fighting the restraint. Robert realized that although the size and movements of
the bear were alarming the horses, they were not as terrified as he expected.
He also noticed that the bear paid no attention whatsoever to Hermes and Boa
Viagem. Plainly it was accustomed to horses, which would be a natural result of
being part of a traveling circus.

For the next few minutes they all remained in position as if
they were images in a tableau, the only movement being that of the bear’s jaws
as it demolished the remains of the chicken. Then Esmeralda asked softly, her
voice trembling a little, “Why does it follow you?”

“Because, like a damned fool, I fed it,” Robert replied.
“Don’t be frightened of it, Merry. The poor thing hasn’t any claws.”

“But what are we to do?” The fear was gone from her voice,
but anxiety remained.

Before Robert could decide on an answer, the bear began to
advance again. It was impossible for Robert to retreat because that would take
the animal closer to Merry and the horses. He started to reach for his pistol,
but the movement was slow and uncertain. And there was no threat in the casual,
shambling advance. Plainly the bear expected to be welcome. Robert could not
shoot it.

Behind him, he heard Esmeralda gasp. And then the bear was
upon him, gently nudging him with its nose, pushing its head under Robert’s
half-raised hand. Instinctively Robert scratched behind the furry ear. The bear
snuffled softly with pleasure, its eyes closing.

“Oh my goodness,” Esmeralda exclaimed, laughing shakily, “I
don’t think you should do that. You’ll have a friend for life.”

“I know, damn it,” Robert said, “but it’s a nice creature.
Look, I’ll try to lead it back to the food. See if you can find somewhere to
secure Boa Viagem and grab Hermes before he breaks loose.”

“Robert—” Esmeralda began, but he had already grasped the
bear’s collar and started off.

The beast grunted but followed him docilely, even quickening
its pace when it saw they were approaching the blanket, which was still strewn
with food. Robert stood beside the animal while it ate, sufficiently relaxed
now to pick up the basket to remove an item or two that had stuck when he had
hastily shaken out the contents previously and to replace in it the glasses,
silver, and china they had been using. Significantly, the bear did not growl as
Robert took items almost from under its nose, and even moved aside a trifle
when he reached for a bottle that had rolled nearly to its feet.

“I have Hermes,” Esmeralda called.

“Have a good time, old boy,” Robert said, patting the
animal’s shoulders.

He experienced a twinge of guilt when he felt the way the
bones protruded under the pelt. The bear had clearly almost been starved. It
seemed cruel to leave it. Robert suppressed that thought. An army officer
simply could not travel around with a dancing bear.

However, Robert soon discovered that it was not a matter
about which he was to have much choice. Although the bear allowed him to get
about twenty or thirty feet away, if he moved off farther it snatched up what
it could and followed. Twice Robert brought it back to the food and even
ordered it to stay. Each time it went where he led it without protest,
nonetheless, it would not let him get too far away. At last Robert decided it
must have been trained, possibly by the tug of a long rope attached to its
sensitive nose, to stay within a certain distance of its keeper.

Knowing that did not solve the immediate problem. Esmeralda
needed Robert’s assistance to mount, nor was she strong enough to hold both
horses as they struggled to bolt while he lifted her to the saddle with the
bear on his heels. Unfortunately, the brush and saplings available offered no
place secure enough to tie either horse, and the branches of the trees that
were strong enough were too high for Esmeralda to reach. At last Robert told
Esmeralda to take the horses back into the woods, secure them as well as she
could where they could not see the bear, and bring him one of the ropes that
had been used to fasten the baggage to the saddles.

By then Esmeralda, too, was convinced the bear was
completely harmless. She had been laughing at Robert’s struggles to convince it
that he was not its master, and she came right up to the animal. Not a scrap of
food remained on the blanket, so the bear looked at her with hopeful interest,
snuffled, and nuzzled her. She patted its head.

“I am very sorry,” she said to it, “but I have nothing more
to feed you, silly bear. Are you lost, poor thing?” And then, to Robert, “What
are you going to do with the rope?”

“Tie the bear to a sapling by the ring in its nose,” he
replied. “It won’t pull loose. The nose is very tender.”

“Oh, no!” Esmeralda cried. “It will starve. Robert, don’t.”

He shook his head and smiled. “I won’t leave it tied, Merry.
I’d shoot it before I’d do that. Once you are mounted, I’ll come back and untie
it.”

“But that won’t work,” she objected. “I don’t think I would
be able to hold Hermes for you, and you won’t be able to mount if Bear follows
you. Robert, the horses don’t seem
very
frightened. I think I could have
got Boa Viagem quiet if I hadn’t been so frightened myself. I’m not frightened
now. Could I bring her out of the wood and see if we cannot accustom her to
Bear?”

“I see you’ve named the beast,” Robert said, smiling.

Esmeralda was idly scratching the head still lifted toward
her, and the bear was swaying slightly, its eyes half shut. Nothing could be
more evident than the fact that the animal had not only been hungry but also
very lonely. Whoever had owned it, Robert thought, must have treated it well.
It seemed to be as much a pet as a performing animal.

Then he frowned thoughtfully. “You may have a better answer
than mine, Merry. Although the horses were wary, they weren’t really terrified.
But if you aren’t afraid to stay with—” he grinned briefly at the use of the
name, “Bear, I think I had better deal with the horses. The only trouble is
that it might take so long to get Hermes and Boa calmed down that we would be
caught by the dark. Over this ridge, the road should run into a valley, but I’m
not sure. I wouldn’t care to climb another mountain at night, nor would I like
to go back down the way we came up.”

“No!” Esmeralda agreed with emphasis. “Well, the sooner
started, the sooner we can judge how long it will take. I’m not afraid to stay
with Bear, but I’m not sure it will stay with me. Go ahead and get Boa. She
seemed to be the least affected.”

Bear seemed content to remain with Esmeralda, who continued
to scratch its ears and murmur soothingly. The animal clearly was not
particular and would grant the favor of its company to anyone who would pet it.
And, surprisingly, when Robert led the mare forward she did no more than jib a
little. Very soon she seemed as willing to ignore Bear as it was willing to
ignore her.

Finally Robert put Esmeralda in the saddle and was even able
to fasten the empty picnic basket into position. When Robert brought the horse
forward and Esmeralda stopped petting Bear, the creature moved aside to one of
the boulders against which they had rested while they were eating and began to
rub its back and sides against the stone. Robert watched it as he went to fetch
Hermes, but this time the bear did not follow him. Although this made Robert’s
task easier since he could mount his horse at a distance and thereby control it
more easily, he was oddly disappointed.