tunately, it was not very dark, although they were
so far from daylight in any direction. The pure white snow seems to
throw off a certain amount of light. However, it was warm work, and so
the men frequently went out with the dogs in relays. Once outside they
quickly cooled off and were glad to return. When the enlargement of the
tunnel was about completed, and the men were again engaged in cutting
out great blocks of the snow that was between them and the bears, there
suddenly reached them a perfume so strong as to be almost sickening. No
need of telling anyone who has ever been near a close old bears' den
where they were now.

All the shovels except a couple were quickly dropped, and the weapons
were seized by those who were expected to do the fighting. The
arrangements were speedily made. It was difficult to say how many bears
were in the den. If only two or three, there would not be much trouble
in killing them, but if, as sometimes happened, a number had clubbed
together, there might be as many as eight or ten, and if so there would
be lots of excitement, and perhaps somebody might get hurt. So it was
decided that Mr Ross with Frank and Alec should go out to the mouth of
the tunnel, and there with their weapons remain, with the dogs
unharnessed, and wait for developments, while Mustagan with Sam and the
others would face them in their dens. If any tried to escape through
the tunnel those watching at the mouth would fire at them or run them
down with the dogs.

Cautiously the intervening wall of snow was broken down and trampled
under foot. Listen! There are low growlings heard, and it is evident
that the bears are on the alert. These sounds show that the bears have
long been hearing the noise made by the approach of the tunnellers, and
are getting their courage up for a fight with the disturbers of their
long repose. Mustagan had taken the precaution to bring along some
torches which he had specially made. The principal materials of them
were rolls of birch bark saturated in balsam gum. The gum had been
boiled down, and otherwise so prepared, that when ignited it made a most
brilliant light and yet emitted but little smoke. At length the diggers
came to a wall of icy snow, which was very close and hard. This was the
wall and roof of the whole den. The party attentively listened, and now
the bears were easily heard. Mustagan said:

"Some of them wide-awake, others seem like sleepy boys called