"Then let's move up closer," said the other. "On the whole, I reckon we'll use the trees that lie up yonder. We can see into his hole from there, which we couldn't do down here."
They started to advance, slowly and cautiously, keeping a wary eye up in the quarter where danger lay. But nothing occurred to give them a start, and presently the boys had reached a point where they could see that Tom had hit the truth when he said the dark spot on the face of the cliff's base must be the entrance to the grizzly's den.
"That's where he enters, is it?" said Felix, looking closely at the aperture that simply yawned darkly before them, with the rock hanging overhead.
"Yes," Tom replied; "when he heard us talking, that other time, he must have walked over to this spot, where he could poke out his head, and look down."
"You don't see anything of him around, do you, Tom."
"Never a sign," came the answer. "Chances are, he's fast asleep inside."
"And now, do we pick out our trees, and squat in them waiting, for him to show up?"
"We'll see if a little music will coax the old gentleman to show his nose. Which tree do you want, Felix?"
"Don't see much choice between them; but I suppose I might as well take this, because it seems to be a trifle closer to the den than the other," replied the boy from the East, indicating his selection.
"But it's smaller in the bargain," complained Tom; "don't you think you'd better let me have that one?"