“Let’s give a jerk,” said Charley.  “Together—­now!”

They strained suddenly at the rope and the bear rose to her hind feet to ease the strain on her neck.  Instantly they pulled in the slack.

“We’ve got her now,” cried Lew.  “Pull again!”

Once more they strained at the rope.  It tightened about the neck of the bear, shutting off her wind.  She rose to her very tiptoes and the boys pulled in a little more slack.

“We could choke her to death now,” said Charley, “but we mustn’t.  How are we going to get out of this?”

“Let’s tie the rope fast and take our packs some distance away.  She won’t strangle for a while.  Then we can come back and free her.  I think she will not attack us, for she is too much afraid of the dog.  We’ll keep him on a leash and beat it the minute we get the rope.”

“But how are we going to get the rope?” demanded Charley.

“Gee!  You’ve got me.  Maybe we’ll think of something while we’re carrying the packs away.”

The two boys got their packs and hurried along their route for some hundreds of yards.  Then they laid their packs down and ran back.  But Charley carried his rifle on the return trip.

The bear was still pawing at the rope when they got back.  The hair on her neck was worn off by her violent struggles, and the skin was bleeding freely.

“That bear will wear a collar on her neck for life,” said Charley.  “If we ever see her again, we’ll know her.”

An idea came to him.  “I’ve got it,” he said.  “I’ll cut that rope with a bullet.  You stand ready with the dog, and I’ll be ready for a second shot, if necessary.  We’re not going to take a chance of being badly hurt, law or no law.”

Lew untied the dog from the tree and held the leash with his left hand.  Charley handed him the axe, and Lew stepped a little aside where he could use it, if necessary.  But it was one thing to talk about cutting the rope with a bullet and another thing to do it, for the bear kept the rope in motion continually.  Charley leveled his weapon and tried to get a bead on the rope.  It seemed to him that the bear would never stand still.  But the beast had nearly reached the limit of endurance.  Her tongue was protruding from her mouth, her eyes seemed ready to pop from her head.  She was gasping pitifully.  Her own struggles were slowly strangling her.  Suddenly she stopped fighting and hung limp.  The rope stretched like a rod.  Instantly Charley’s rifle cracked.  The line was severed as though some one had cut it with a sword.  It flew upward into the tree and the bear dropped to the ground.  The noose about her neck came loose and she breathed freely.

“Quick!” cried Lew.  “She’ll be on her feet in a second.”

Charley untied the rope from the tree, drew the severed end to earth, and gathering up rope and rifle, fled toward his pack, with Lew at his heels, dragging the frantic dog by main force, for the animal was wild to charge the fallen bear.