“But we saw him!” insisted Flossie.
“And he had a black, bushy head,” explained her brother.
Zeek, laughing and shaking his head, entered the barn, followed by the two children.
“Hadn’t you better get a gun?” asked Freddie.
“No, I guess your bear will come and eat out of my hand,” said Zeek.
“Oh, is he a trained bear?” Flossie wanted to know. She was not frightened now, and Freddie’s courage, also, came back to him. Zeek did not answer, but led the way to the fodder tunnel door. The children followed him.
Then, just before reaching the place, they were startled by a loud:
Maa-a-a-a!
“There’s your bear,” chuckled Zeek. A moment later a half-grown calf ran toward him and Flossie and Freddie! But it was not like any calf the children had ever seen. Its head was large and black and bushy.
“What makes him look so queer?” asked Freddie, as the calf, again uttering its maa-a-a cry, began nosing Zeek’s hand as if seeking a taste of salt, of which all cattle are very fond.