un their exploration at night. But they were not
ready to begin. Torches had to be procured; and a notched tree by which
to ascend the cliff; and to obtain these required time. They would have
them ready by the morrow.

With this determination, they returned to their hut; and at once set
about making the torches, and preparing the notched tree for their
ladder. There were other little preparations to be made, but most of
them were completed before they thought of retiring to rest.

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE.

BEAR-HUNT BY TORCH-LIGHT.

As soon as it was daylight again, they went to work once more, and
finished their preparations for entering the cave, and at a tolerably
early hour they took the route for the ravine.

Two of them carried the _improvised_ ladder; which was only a slender
pine-tree, of about forty feet long, notched by the axe, the notches
being at intervals of a foot to eighteen inches apart. At its more
slender part, there were no notches required, as the natural branches of
the tree, lopped into short stumps, were to be used as foot-holds, and
would serve the purpose better than any notches.

Forty feet of even the slenderest tree when green would be load
sufficient for a couple of stout men. This one was not green; for they
had been fortunate enough to find one that had fallen long ago, and that
was now quite dead and dry. For all that, it "tied" the united strength
of Caspar and Ossaroo to carry it along, for it was they who performed
this duty. Karl was loaded with the guns, torches, and the great spear
of the shikarree. Fritz carried nothing except his tail; and this he
bore aloft in a swaggerish manner, as though he knew that something more
than common was designed, and that grand game was to be killed that day.

They moved but slowly; but after about two hours' walking, including
many stoppages and rests, they arrived within the ravine and under the
ledge.

It occupied about another hour to erect the ladder. It was placed
nearly opposite the mouth of the cave, instead of by the path; for there
appeared a favourable crevice in the rocks, which promised to hold it
steady, and keep it from turning round; an important consideration with
so rude a ladder. The upper end of the tree was laid into the crevice,
and fitted exactly. The lower end was rendered firm by something like a
cartload of heavy boulders being built around it. It could neither
shift nor turn. It was fast as a shut t