“Jest foller me, and I’ll show you something,” said Sneak, stepping round to the opposite side of the tree, where the ascent on the north rose abruptly from the roots. Here he removed a thin flat stone of about four feet in height, that stood in a vertical position against the tree.
“You don’t live in there, Sneak, surely; why that looks like a wolf’s den,” said Joe, perceiving a dark yawning aperture, and that the immense tree was but a mere shell.
“Keep at my heels,” said Sneak, stooping down and crawling into the tree.
“I’d rather not,” said Joe; “there may be a bear in it.”
Soon a clicking sound was heard within, and the next moment Joe perceived the flickering rays of a small lamp that Sneak held in his hand, illuminating the sombre recesses of the novel habitation.
“Why don’t you come in?” asked Sneak.
“Sneak, how do you know there ain’t a bear up in the hollow?” asked Joe, crawling in timidly and endeavouring to peer through the darkness far above, where even the rays of the lamp could not penetrate.
“I wonder if you think I’d let a bear sleep in my house,” continued Sneak, searching among a number of boxes and rude shelves, to see if any thing had been molested during his absence. Finding every thing safe, he handed Joe a stool, and began to kindle a fire in a small stone furnace. Joe sat down in silence, and looked about in astonishment. And the scene was enough to excite the wonder of an Irishman. The interior of the tree was full eight feet in diameter, while the eye was lost above in undeveloped regions. Below, there was a surface of smooth stones, which were comfortably carpeted over with buffalo robes. At one side was a diminutive fireplace, or furnace, constructed of three flat stones about three inches in thickness. The largest was laid horizontally on the ground, and the others placed upright on it, and attached to a clay chimney, that was by some means confined to the interior side of the tree, and ran upward until it was lost in the darkness. After gazing in amazement several minutes at this strange contrivance, Joe exclaimed:
“Sneak, I don’t understand this! Where does that smoke go to?”
“Go out doors and see if you can’t see,” replied Sneak, placing more fuel on the blazing fire.