At first the boys could not realize that their dreadful enemy was dead. They ran back to the cave to reload the rifle and the guns. But it was not needed, and after a wait of fully five minutes they went back to inspect their great prize.
“Talk about wolves and wildcats and deer!” cried Harry, not without pardonable pride. “This caps the climax. Boys, I am done hunting now.”
“And so am I,” returned Jack. “No more of life in the woods for this season.”
“Yes, I jess as lief pull up an’ go back to Rudskill to-morrow,” broke in Pickles. “I couldn’t sleep out heah no moah if you paid me ten dollars an hour.”
“We must have that bear stuffed,” said Jack. “And when we get a regular clubroom we’ll have him stand on one end of the platform as a memento of this glorious outing.”
There was no sleep for any of the boys that night, and early in the morning they set to work to skin the bear as nicely as possible, so that it might be turned over to the taxidermist in Rudskill when they arrived home.
Skinning the bear and getting ready to “pull up stakes” took the whole of the day, and despite their fears of more bears, they slept that night. By daybreak they were on their way across Rock Island Lake.
Twenty-four hours later they reached Rudd’s Landing, where Barton Coils greeted them warmly. The old man was astonished at their success in the hunting line.
A crowd of friends and curious strangers greeted them when the Icicle ran up to the town front of Rudskill and the boys left the iceboat; the bear skin and head were much admired, as were also the other trophies.
“Had a good deal better luck than Sully and his crowd,” said one of the town boys, and the members of the Zero Club and Pickles rather guessed that they had.