"How do you know the bears are out there in the cave?" Sandy asked, as
Tommy drew back into the smaller cavity.

"Just take a peek out, if you don't believe me."

Sandy did take a peek out, and sprang back with a face which looked as
white as a sheet of paper under the rays of Tommy's electric
searchlight.

"One of 'em took a swipe at me!" he said.

The boys turned their searchlights on the entrance and waited patiently
for some moments for the bears to present themselves in the illuminated
circle, but the animals seemed to understand that there was danger under
the light, and remained around the angle of the wall.

"What are you going to do?" asked Tommy, presently.

"Blessed if I know!" answered Sandy.

"We might rush out and fill 'em full of lead," suggested Tommy.

"Not for me!" the other answered. "They'd get in one good crack at us
before we could pull the trigger, and then it would be 'Good-night!'"

"How long do you think they'll stay here?" asked Tommy.

"The bear has the reputation of being a stayer," replied the other.

"Well, in time," Tommy said, "we'll have to make a break. We've got
about enough provisions for breakfast, and after that, we'll be on the
verge of starvation as long as we remain here. So far as I can see, we
may as well make a break right now."

"I'm game for it," replied Sandy. "We'll dazzle their eyes with our
searchlights, and fire a whole clip of bullets without stopping. Perhaps
that'll bring them down or cause them to run away."

"All right!" Tommy agreed. "We'll round the corner together with our
searchlights held in front and begin shooting."

"And don't make any mistake about shooting straight!" advised Sandy. "I
don't want Will and George to know that we ever got into a mess like
this. You know what they said about our coming away tonight, anyhow!"

"Sure, I know!" admitted Tommy. "And I'd rather have one of the bears
bite off an arm than to have them know we got into a scrape we couldn't
get out of without their help."

"Well, here goes, then!" cried Sandy.

Without waiting for his chum he sprang around the corner or the wall,
his electric advanced, his automatic ready for instant use. As he turned
the corner one foot caught on a loose rock and he half fell to the
ground. As he did so, Tommy saw a hairy paw shoot out with vicious force
and brush and scrape across the boy's shoulder.

Tommy heard the boy's coat ripping and tearing under the clutch of the
great