"Where?" inquired Dick sceptically, as he appeared from inside the shack, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What, that thing? It couldn't hurt a fly; it's just a baby. I hope you aren't afraid of a bear cub that size."
"Well, I didn't say I was," replied Joe, rather touchily. "You just ought to have seen the big one I saw, and heard its yells. It was awful. It turned over almost a whole kettle of hot syrup. Look!" and Joe pointed to the overturned kettle.
"No wonder it yelled," grinned Dick; "though come to think, it got pretty well scalded; that's why it yelled so, I guess. And say, it won't come back here right off either, I'll bet. But look, he's wasted almost a whole kettle full of good syrup—meddling old thing. Say, why in creation didn't you wake a fellow up?"
"Oh, well, I guess, come to think of it, I must have been asleep. I seem to remember closing my eyes once or twice," confessed Joe.
"Great Scott! I should think you did. Let a bear come into camp and not wake you up; ha! ha!" jeered Dick. "But look here; we're in something, if we did lose some sugar; we've got a bear cub, and my, ain't he a dandy?"
"Look, look, Dick! He's sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his paw and crying, just like a little kid. My, ain't he the funniest little fellow?" spoke Joe delightedly, watching the cub, and both boys had great fun over their new pet, which they meant to take back with them to the lumber camps.
"Sugaring all finished to-day," commented Dick, as the sun rose over the tops of the tall spruces, and they ate their breakfast, sharing their bacon rinds with the bear cub, which had seemed to take to them at once.
"Won't we surprise the folks when we lug all this sugar home, and a bear cub too?" spoke Joe. "Say, look at his head, Dick; see, he's got a funny mark from his nose to the back of his ears; I'll bet when he sheds his woolly baby fur, it'll be a regular white streak right across his face. I heard Indian Pete tell once about a white-faced bear; they're awful rare."
"Hope the folks will let us keep this fellow in camp," said Joe. "He'll make a fine pet, and Indian Pete 'll help us to teach him tricks perhaps."
"Say, what if the old bear comes back for her cub? She'll be awful mad at us, and I guess we better make tracks and leave here soon as we can," suggested Dick, peering back into the thick woods, almost expecting to see the old bear making for them.