ght with him, and after they had swallowed a little snow they all sat
down to talk.

"I fear," said Tom, "we'll have to stay here all night. It will be good
fun, won't it, girls?"

He knew it was anything but fun himself, but he spoke in that way to keep
up the children's courage.

When Aralia said, "Yes," so did Pansy, but both looked very quiet.

Soon after this, to their great joy, in bounded Briton himself, and close
behind him waddled Floss. It was clear to all that he had been helping
Flossy along, for Flossy was still little more than a puppy; but, poor
wee beauty, how glad she was to see them all again!

She crawled up to Pansy, and lay down on her back to be scratched, which
was always Flossy's way of showing she was pleased.

Well, after they had all talked till they were tired, Tom said: "Now,
girls, just you lie down to sleep. Frank, here is my ticker." He gave his
cousin his watch as he spoke. "You have to do sentry for three hours.
Then wake me up and I'll let you lie down. See, I'll put my rifle and
belt, with fifty cartridges in it, beside you. Mind, that is only for
show, because you're too little a boy to touch guns. Anybody want a
little more snow? No? Very well."

So the girls curled up with Veevee and Floss, and Tom lay near. But
Briton seemed to say: "No, I won't sleep; I'll lie and watch with Frank."

Frank was not sorry to have the dog beside him for it was terrible to
feel all alone in such a dismal place.

Well, the night wore slowly on--one, two, three, four hours--and Frank
was just looking at the rifle, and pretending to aim at something in the
falling snow, when, all at once, Briton uttered a low warning growl and
sprang to his feet.

Next moment a great shambling bear was right in the mouth of the cave. He
gave a roar that seemed to shake the whole island.

Whether the boy took aim or not, I never could tell, but he certainly
fired the rifle, and down dropped Bruin dead, and lay in the snow with
his great tongue hanging out, a marvellous sight to see.

The noise in the cave was fearful, but as soon as the girls had stopped
screaming, Frank told what had happened.

"I tell you what it is, girls," he said more than once, "there wasn't the
least bit of bravery about it. I just held out the gun, and off it went."

"Oh, but you were brave!" said Aralia; "and if you hadn't killed the
awful monster, we should all be dead now.

"No, no," cried Tom, "it was only Flossy that the bea