"I don't know, sir; I never tried it," said the boy, dubiously.
"Come, and try it now," said the bear encouragingly. But being by no means perfectly sure, even yet, of the burly monster, our hero was in no hurry to accept the invitation.
"Come and try it, I tell you!" repeated the bear in his old, gruff voice.
"You won't bite me with your long, sharp teeth, will you?" whined the boy.
"No," growled the bear.
"And you won't scratch me with your long, sharp claws?" again whined the boy.
"Scratch you with my long, sharp claws! No!" again growled the bear.
"And you won't, like the bull and the cat and the wolf, go a-jumping over there, at that steep place in the hill?" still urged the boy, though a little less whiningly.
"Do like the bull and the cat and the wolf? No!" rejoined the bear, a little less growlingly.