Of course they knew that it came from Lub out there on the ice. He had been giving some fancy exhibitions of shouting from time to time; so that the others had reached a point where they only grinned on hearing his notes of delight.
But this was different.
There was no chant of joy about the howl that had just reached their ears, to thrill them through and through; on the contrary plain fear dominated the outburst!
[CHAPTER IV—LUB’S BEAR]
“It’s Lub!” exclaimed X-Ray, like a flash, for he was always quick to jump at conclusions.
“He’s fallen in one of his holes!” gasped Ethan.
“Not much; it’s something worse than that!” cried Phil, as another whoop came to their ears.
It happened that they could not see out on the ice where they were standing, and consequently the first thing any of them thought of doing was to jump around the patch of bushes so as to get a clear view.
They could hardly believe their eyes. There was poor Lub trying his level best to run over the smooth ice, with a shaggy black bear in hot pursuit! Even as they looked the animal went through a queer sort of gymnastic performance, as though striving to seize hold of some object that Lub seemed to be dragging after him.
“It’s a fish on one of his lines the bear wants!” exclaimed Phil, hardly knowing whether to burst out laughing, or consider the situation a serious one for the terrified boy on the ice.