THE CAVE OP THE TWO BEARS
"Bears?" exclaimed George, as the lads listened in front of the
cave, "do you think there are polar bears up here? I think it's
cold enough for the big white variety."
"Put your head inside the cave," Thede suggested, "and you won't be
wondering whether there are any bears here."
George did as requested, and soon the warm animal odor noticeable
in the various zoos of the country attacked his nostrils.
"What kind of bears are they?" he asked.
"I've heard Pierre say there were black and brown bears," replied
Thede. "You know I haven't been in here only a few days."
"I wonder if they'll bite."
"Stick your arm in there and find out," Thede answered.
"I don't believe they'll jump on us if we keep our light going,"
George argued. "Anyway," he went on, "we've got to get somewhere
out of this wind and snow. If we don't, we'll freeze to death!"
Very slowly and cautiously the boys made their way into the cavern.
It was a small place, not more than six feet in width and twice
that in depth, and the electric revealed about all there was inside.
Two black huddles of fur showed under the finger of light, and as
the boys crept on, George with his automatic ready for use, two
pair of surly, pig-like eyes became visible.
The animals stirred restlessly as the boys advanced and finally
began edging toward one side of the cave, as if seeking a way out.
"Get out of the entrance," advised George as soon as both animals
were on their feet, "and we'll give them a chance to escape."
This plan was followed, and, much to the delight of the youngsters,
the animals sprang outside and for a moment disappeared in the
darkness.
"It's a shame to turn the poor creatures out in this storm!" George
declared. "Perhaps they were just entering upon their long
winter's sleep."
"We didn't order them out!" grinned Thede. "It amounts to the same
thing," George responded. "They've gone away, and are likely to
freeze to death."
"If you think they've gone away," Thede replied, "just turn your
light toward the entrance. They're not going to give up their warm
nest without a scrap, and I can't say that I blame them for it."
It was considerably warmer in the cave and, out of the tempest, the
boys were quite comfortable in their thick clothing. They huddled
together at the far end of the cavern, and George kept the light
turned, on the two bears, who were now growling savagely.
"Why don't you shoot?" asked Thede.
"What's the use of shooting until I have to?" demanded George.
"They can come in here if they want to, if they'll only behave
themselves."
"If they try to come in here," declared Thede, "I'll go up in the
air about nine hundred feet."
Although they did not attempt to re-enter the cavern, the bears
kept close to the entrance. It was clear that only the light of
the electric kept them from attacking the boys.
"They'll stay right there till morning," exclaimed Thede, "and
we'll have to shoot them anyway before we can get out. They are
kicking themselves now," he continued with a grin, "because they
let us in here without a battle. I wish we understood bear talk so
that we could learn what they're saying to each other."
"Nothing very complimentary to us," George declared.
As the night advanced it grew colder and the boys moved about in
quest of a more sheltered corner. They could still hear the bears
moving about outside, but paid no attention to them.
"Look here," George said presently, as the search-light rested for
a moment on a break in the rock. "I wouldn't wonder at all if we
could get further under the hill. There's an opening here which
looks wide enough for us to crawl through."
"It's a wonder the bears didn't find it then," commented Thede.
"I'm going to see whether I can get through it or not," George
insisted. "It may be a warmer corner. Anyway, it'll give us
exercise, and that's what we need about this time."
Throwing the spear of light into the crevice, the boy glanced
keenly about. The walls of the opening seemed to be smooth, and to
extend only a short distance. Just below where the walls broke he
could see the brown floor of another cavern."
"I guess it's all right," he said to Thede. "You take the light
and hold it down and I'll scramble in. May as well break my neck
as to freeze to death."
"Let me take your hand, then," advised Thede, "so yon can be pulled
back if you don't like the looks of the new furnished room."
"I'd like to be in a furnished room on Washington boulevard just
this minute," George broke in.
"I wouldn't mind a good box in Gamblers' alley," said Thede.
When all was ready Thede gave one hand to George and lowered him
down to the full length of both arms.
"All right!" George cried in a moment, "I can feel my toes touching
the rock. Let go! You drop down now, and I'll steady you when you
light."
Both boys were soon in the lower cavern and a moment following
their arrival there, they heard the claws of the bears rattling on
the rocks above.
"I've heard Pierre tell about caves in this range of hills," Thede
said, "but I never knew that they had caves two stories high."
As the boy ceased speaking, George suddenly shut off his flash
light and laid a hand on the other's arm.
"What's that for -----"
"Keep still!" whispered George. "Do you see anything?"
"Looks to me like a light," the other replied.
"Looks like a fire, doesn't it?" asked George.
"It certainly is a fire and there's a man sitting in front of it."
The fire showed at the end of a narrow passage, perhaps ten or
twelve yards away. It was blazing vigorously, and the cavern in
which it stood was well clouded with smoke. It was evident that
the watcher by the fire was as yet unconscious of the approach of
the two boys.
"I wish we could get to that fire!" George said with a shiver.
"And why not?"
"I don't think he'd be hiding here if he was keeping open house,"
replied George. "He may be an outlaw hiding from the police. And
in that case he wouldn't relish the idea of his underground retreat
being discovered, even by two boys who want to get warm."
"Anyway," Thede insisted, "I'm going to crawl up close and see what
I can find out. That fire looks good to me."
The boys advanced cautiously, with George a little in advance. The
man at the fire sat with his chin on his breast as if in sound
sleep.
"I don't believe he'd say anything if we walked right in on him,"
Thede declared. "If he does, we can hold a gun on him and invite
him to a more friendly mood."
The man did not move as the boys came on, and George was about to
call out to him when Thede caught him by the shoulder.
"Don't you dare make a motion!" the boy whispered. "Stand still
where you are and look to the little shelf of rock on the other
side of the fire."
George looked, and his automatic and his searchlight almost
clattered to the floor as his eyes rested on something which
glittered like gold in the red light of the fire. He turned to
Thede, and there was a tremor in his voice as he whispered in his
ear.
"Do you know what that is?" he asked.
"I think I know what it is!" was the whispered reply.
"It's the Little Brass God!" whispered George excitedly. "And I'm
going to sneak over there and lay my hands on it before that fellow
wakes up!"
"You never can do it!" advised Thede.
"I've just got to do it!"
"If that is the real Little Brass God, how did it ever get here?"
whispered Thede. "Strangest thing I ever heard of."
"Gee whiz!" whispered George. "We mustn't stand around wondering
how it got here. The thing for us to do right now is to get
possession of it. I believe I can get over there without waking
that fellow up."
"Let me take your gun, then," Thede advised, "and if he moves or
makes any funny breaks, I'll keep him under cover!"
George handed his gun over to the boy without a word and moved on
toward the fire. It was clear that the man was asleep, his chin
resting on his breast, his shoulders supported by a wall of rock.
The thing which glittered on the ledge, now almost within reaching
distance, was unquestionably the Little Brass God, the quest of
which had brought the boys into the Hudson Bay country.
George had never set eyes on the toy, but there was no mistaking
the crossed legs, the folded arms, the paunchy stomach, and the
misshapen, leering face. The boy heard a soft warning whispered
from the opposite side of the room and turned his eyes from a
greedy contemplation of the Little Brass God to the figure of the
man crouching before the blaze.
The fellow had lifted his head, and now sat staring at the boy with
a dumb wonder in his eyes. While the boy looked the expression
changed from wonder to alarm, from alarm to anger, and then the
doubled-up figure straightened and sprang forward.
The boy heard a pistol shot, sensed the acrid smell of powder
smoke, felt a muscular hand grasp the wrist which was extended
toward the shelf of rock, and then a million stars seemed to be
falling from the heavens. There was a roar as of an ocean beating
against breakers, and then a lull during which he heard another
pistol shot.
When the boy regained consciousness, daylight was creeping into the
cavern through an opening much lower down than the one by which the
boys had entered the upper cavern.
The earth outside was covered with a thick mat of snow, and the
trees and shrubs of the forest were bending beneath burdens of pure
white.
The fire had burned to ashes and it was miserably cold.
The Little Brass God was gone!