“I give it up,” said Sidney. “I wish I could see.”
“I’m going to strike a match,” declared Raymond, “and find out what I did do.”
“Well,” said Sidney, rather dubiously, “I suppose that will do no harm. If he wants to rush us he won’t wait for a light.”
The match burned dimly and the boys strained their eyes to solve the mystery held by the darkness. Then the blaze flared up brightly, and there, erect in the entrance, loomed a huge bulk which the boys could not see well enough to identify.
Raymond smothered an exclamation when he saw it, but before either of them could determine what it was, the light died down and they were again left in darkness.
The monster had seemed to be just crowding through the opening, which he completely filled, and the apparition had appeared so lifelike that the boys expected an immediate onslaught. They were appalled by the size of the intruder, and in their cramped quarters only one result seemed possible. Still there was no advance by the strange animal, and the silence was still profound.
“If that is a bear,” whispered Sidney, “why doesn’t he do something?”
“We might as well be killed as scared to death in this way; I’m going to strike another match.”
[Raymond took a cautious step toward the entrance] and lighted a match. The anxious boys thought the blaze would never stop sputtering and burn clear and bright. When it did, Raymond held it up as close as he dared and saw a great bear standing erect on his hind legs, apparently wedged tightly in the opening. The animal’s head lay over to one side against the rock, and blood dripped from the jaws.
