Anyhow, there the alligator had hold of Neddie by the loose skin at the back of the little boy bear’s neck, and the skillery-scalery creature was trying to drag Neddie down into the hole in the ground.
“Let me go! Let me go!” begged Neddie.
“Nope! Nope!” said the ’gator, pulling harder than ever.
Neddie braced with his claws in the dirt, but, in spite of this, he was being dragged along, for the alligator was bigger and stronger than the bear boy.
Neddie was almost down in the hole and he was wishing he had not gone off alone to look for an adventure, when right behind him, he heard a large bear growling. At first he hoped it was his papa or Uncle Wigwag, the joking bear, or even Mr. Whitewash, the polar bear gentleman, who had come to save him. But when he looked he saw it was a strange man-bear.
However, that strange man-bear was very kind to Neddie. Rushing up to the alligator, the big bear just tickled him on his thick and scaly hide with his sharp claws, and that ’gator was so tickled, and he had to laugh so hard, that he let Neddie go.
“Quick now!” cried the big bear, “jump out of the way, little bear boy!”
And you may be sure Neddie got out of the hole and the skillery-scalery alligator, still laughing at being tickled, went and hid in the woods and did not come out for a day and a half.
Then Neddie looked at the bear gentleman who had saved him. This bear was very nice and kind-looking, only he had an iron ring in his nose, and fastened to the ring was a long chain.
“What is that for?” asked Neddie, after he had gotten over being frightened.