em and the icy cave where these bears
were drowsily sleeping away the long winter months. After some further
investigation, and a talk about the best way of getting down to those
bears, the party returned to camp for breakfast.

The snowshoe run back was a vigorous one, and enjoyed on account of the
cold. The second breakfast was dispatched, and the plans talked over
for getting down to the bears. If the snow should be found light and
dry quite a distance down it would be impossible to dig a well-like hole
down to them. If the wind had packed the snow hard as it filled up the
ravine it would be an easy matter. If it were found impracticable to
get to them that way, then they would have to tunnel in from below, in
the valley, until they reached them. A tunnel can always be dug in deep
snow, as the pressure of the mass above sufficiently hardens the snow
near the ground to make it quite possible to accomplish the work. Thus
they discussed various plans, and then decided to go and begin
operations on what seemed the best way when they reached the spot.

Axes, ropes, a big baglike bucket for hauling up snow, snowshovels, and
other things considered necessary were taken along on a couple of dog-
trains to the spot where the steam was quite visible, now that it had
been discovered. After some consultation it was decided to go to a
cluster of trees not far off, and cut down a number of them and build a
kind of platform on the snow directly over the steam orifice, and then
commence the work of digging down to the den below.

Soon all were busy. The men cut down the trees, and the boys claimed
the honour of driving the dogs that dragged the logs to the place where
they were to be used. As the snow over the bears' den was so very deep
the boys had to keep on their snowshoes all the time. It was very
difficult at first for the dogs to get along, but, after the snowshoes
had tramped out the trail a few times, the snow then easily held them
up.

The log platform was built, and in the large space left cleared in the
centre, which was about eight feet square, the work of digging was
commenced. When all the snow was thrown out that could be reached with
the long-handled snowshovels a rude windlass was made, and then the
leather baglike bucket was brought into requisition, and the work went
on as fast as it was possible to haul up the snow and have it dragged
away on the dog-sleds. When the well-like hole was down about