rned to the camp
for supper and rest, and hoped to be able to finish their work on the
morrow.

That night there was a most beautiful display of the aurora borealis.
Their ever-changing glories delighted and so fascinated the boys that
they were loth to cover up their heads in their camp beds. These
wondrous visions in the North Land exceed in weird beauty anything else
that this wide world can show.

Mr Ross was so anxious that they should get the bears to-day, so that
the whole party could begin the return journey to-morrow, that he had
them all up at such an early hour that they were eating breakfast by
starlight. Just as the sun rose, and the Indians were calling,
"Sagastao! Sagastao!" ("The sun rises!") to each other, they were
already at the tunnel, anxious to resume operations. They had to be
careful now to so run the tunnel that they would directly strike the
bears. So, while the men were digging, Mr Ross and Mustagan were
constantly travelling on their snowshoes with a compass to try and help
the diggers, who were rapidly pushing on their work.

The boys could hardly understand how it was that it could be so cozy and
comfortable in the tunnel while outside the cold was so terrible. To
their surprise, they here learned that there was warmth even in a snow
tunnel. While thus digging away and dragging out the loads, all at once
the dogs became very much excited, and began barking furiously.
Suspecting that it was because of the scent of the bears, which passes a
long distance through the snow, the guns and some axes were immediately
sent for.

"Did you ever shoot a bear?" said Mustagan to Sam.

"I was chased by one once," said Sam, with a laugh. "But I fancy I got
even with him before the summer ended."

"O yes," said Mustagan, with a comical grin, "I do remember now a boy
coming running into the camp with a bear at his heels. That's why your
hair stands up so straight ever since."

Poor Sam, whose hair had a natural tendency to stand on end, said he
thought he had heard enough of that bear story of his, and so was about
blaming the old Indian for being too hard on him, when he was astonished
at hearing him say:

"I want you to be the first to walk into that bears' den with me. Mr
Bear chased you once. You killed some of his relatives since then, but
he has lots of brothers, and perhaps some of them are in this den, and
so now is your chance to teach them a lesson for one of their relatives