Fearless Master of the Jungle (A Bunduki Jungle Adventure Read Online Free

conditions had necessitated
alterations in patterns of behavior. Furthermore, their instructors
on Earth had been a family whose information had been gained by the
practical experience of surviving for several decades among wild
animals in completely natural, unaltered surroundings.
    As Dawn and Bunduki were aware,
the aggressive and dangerous animals which had been responsible for
the sportsmen ’s stories on Earth were killed while attacking. The more
cautious members of their species, who would not otherwise have
been capable of winning mates and breeding before the demise of the
more domineering animals, fled and survived to pass on similar
passive traits to their offspring. These in turn produced young
which also adopted and furthered the precept that discretion was
the better part of valor.
    Such a state of affairs did not
prevail on Zillikian. While the dangerous creatures were hunted, it
was done with such primitive weapons that they had a far greater
chance of survival than when in contention against firearms.
Certainly the major carnivores of the planet in particular had
little need to fear human beings and considered them to be as much
an acceptable source of food as any of the more conventional animal
prey.
    Being fully conversant with the
situation, Dawn and Bunkuki reluctantly accepted that in all
probability they would have to kill the grizzly bear if they wanted
to save the banar-gatahs from injury. With that in mind, the blond giant
darted a quick look to where he and the girl had left their
shoulder quivers and other property, leaning against the animals’
saddles. He decided against trying to reach the rigs before taking
action.
    Despite having had its
excellent protective qualities demonstrated to him on more than one
occasion recently, the blond giant realized that the Masai-style
shield would not serve his purpose at that moment. Even if he could
retrieve it in time, it would offer little or no defense against
the grizzly ’s enormous weight and strength. Similar considerations
ruled out an attempt to collect and don his shoulder quiver. Nor
was it necessary, he was already carrying eight arrows instantly
available.
    Reaching up and across with his
right hand, Bunduki plucked the nearest arrow from the clips of the
quiver attached to the right side of his bow. So well trained was
he that he did not need to look down as he started to nock the
shaft to the string and settle it on the handle ’s arrow-rest. Instead, he
glanced at Dawn. As he had expected, she did not need any advice
upon the tactics they must employ to cope with their dangerous
predicament. Instead of continuing to advance at his side, she was
veering away, at the same time duplicating his actions in charging
her bow. Moving to one side as she did so would warn their massive
foe that it was facing two threats and might cause it to retire. Even if this did not
happen, being some feet apart increased their own chances of
survival.
    Satisfied that Dawn was ready
to play her part, Bunduki continued to advance and gave a very
realistic impersonation of a lion ’s challenging roar. Hearing the sound,
the grizzly bear’s attention was diverted from the banar-gatahs. Because of its poor sight, it could make out
little more than that two vague shapes were approaching. However,
that they were doing so instead of standing back or fleeing was
significant. So it reacted as it would against any other kind of
carnivore which invaded its domain and showed an intention of
contending with it for its selected prey.
    Letting out a bawl that was
just as menacing as the lion ’s roar it had heard, the bear swerved in the
human beings’ direction. It was moving fast for such a massive
beast, employing a bounding gait that covered a lot of ground in a
short time. With the long guard hairs of its coat bristling and
seeming to increase its already impressive size, it made a
terrifying sight.
    Keeping Bunduki under observation from
the corner of her eye; but