He had first gathered up something and made a bundle of it under one of his arms.
Bud, looking closely, believed that he knew what the other scout had collected.
"Dead weeds, as sure as anything! Bears don't eat dried weeds, do they? If he had 'em dripping with wild honey p'raps it might do the business, because they say bears go crazy when they get sniff of honeycomb."
"All of which is true enough, Bud," Hugh told him; "but when you think Ralph expects to coax the bear to come out, you're barking up the wrong tree. It's my opinion force would be a much better word, because he means to compel him to vacate."
"Now you have got me guessing, Hugh; If you know, please take me into the game. There, Ralph's climbing up where the roof is lowest. It wasn't much of a boost for a fellow as active as he is. What d'ye think he'll do next?"
"Make for the chimney, unless I'm away off, which I don't think I am.
There, you see he's up already. What does he seem to be doing now,
Bud?"
"Why, I declare if he isn't crunching all that dry stuff down the old chimney! Oh! now I've got it, Hugh! He's going to smoke the bear out!"
"I shouldn't wonder but what that is just what he expects to do," chuckled Hugh; "and let's watch and see how it works. Ralph knows how much alarmed a bear will always get after smelling smoke. It seems to be a part of his nature to dread anything that has to do with fire. And in case he has had to hustle at some time in the past to save his bacon from a raging forest fire, of course it's all the worse. But Ralph is getting ready to put a match to the dry stuff he has in the chimney. After he has it smouldering good I reckon he'll give the same a kick, and send it down into the fireplace. Then watch him clap that short piece of board on top of the clay chimney, forcing all the smoke to ooze out into the cabin, filling it full."
Both boys, and the soldier as well, kept their eyes glued upon the figure of the scout on the roof of the cabin. Ralph was taking his time. He usually did his work very systematically, and could be depended on to make a complete job of anything he undertook.
"There, it's beginning to come out of the door, the smoke, I mean!" exclaimed the anxious Bud.