“It seems like a cruel thing,” said Chap, “to break up a family in that manner.”
“Well,” replied Adam, “the only way bears can be made of any good to anybody is to kill ’em or carry ’em off for shows. If people didn’t do that, there’d better be no bears. Now, if I kin keep these young ones alive, and git ’em up North, I kin sell ’em to some menagerie man or show-keeper for a nice little lot of money. Baby bears ain’t common in shows, and these are as cute little creatures as I ever see.”
The breeze which had arisen did not prove to be very strong, and the progress of The Rolling Stone was slow. After a time the wind gradually changed its direction, and there sprung up one of those sudden squalls which were frequent on the Indian River. The wind blew a hurricane, the surface of the river was covered with tossing waves, and The Rolling Stone would probably have rolled entirely over if Adam had not noticed the approach of the wind-storm and taken quick precautions. The boat was laid with her head to the gale, and both sails were rapidly lowered, and when the little bears had been carefully wrapped up and tucked in, so that they would not take cold, there was nothing to do but to lie-to till the storm had passed over.
Then, in the afternoon, the wind got around to the northeast, which was almost dead ahead. Adam was obliged to tack backward and forward all the afternoon. The boys became rather tired of doing so much sailing and making so little progress, and when the boat had gradually worked its way about a mile above a small river, which flowed into the Indian River from the west, everybody was glad to land at a convenient place on the west side of the river and make the evening fire.
The next morning, the wind blew more strongly from the north, and, what was worse, there was not a drop of milk left for the little bears.
“There’s a store about fifteen miles above this place,” said Adam; “but these cubs will starve before we kin beat up there agin this wind. They take a lot o’ feedin’, and they’re nearly famished now. But back from the river, about a mile and a half up, there’s a man who has a little orange-grove. I was there once, and I know he keeps a lot of supplies on hand. I’ll walk over there and see if I can’t get some milk.”
Soon after Adam had started, Phil said he thought he would take the gun and go into the woods, and see if he could not find some game. He did not intend to look for any bears, but he thought he might find something smaller.
“I’d like to go along,” said Phœnix, “if it wasn’t that somebody has got to take care of the boat and things, and I don’t want to leave Chap alone.”
“Nobody need trouble himself about me,” said Chap; “you go along, and I’ll stay here and fish. I made up my mind to do that as soon as Adam said he was going.”
“All right,” said Phil; “but mind you don’t go in to swim.”