ting out, for they were about half blinded and
suffocated by the smoke of the guns and could render but little service.
They were soon out, and found Mr Ross and the boys ready for the
bears. All were much excited, for they had distinctly heard the two
shots fired inside.

Mustagan, Sam, and the Indians had now wedged themselves so around the
bears that they had them all between them and the opening into the
tunnel. The cunning animals were loth to leave their winter quarters,
and so they very slowly and reluctantly gave ground as Mustagan and the
others, with their flaming torches, gradually forced them on ahead. It
would now have been easy to have shot some of them, but Mustagan was
afraid that as so much of the ice had fallen already from the roof of
the den a few more such reports might find them all buried under the
great mass above them. So he decided to drive the bears out into the
open air, where the fight could be renewed.

At the great opening in the crystal wall the bears made a determined
stand. There were still seven or eight of them unwounded. There they
raised themselves upon their hind feet against the opening, and seemed
to say, "We will not be thus driven out of our house." Beyond this
point it seemed impossible to drive them. The torches would not burn
much longer, and something desperate had to be done. Mustagan, while
fearful of the effects of a powder explosion on the roof, yet resolved
to try one. Skillfully throwing some powder in handfuls at the feet of
the bears, he said to Sam and to the men:

"Get back as far as possible, before I fire this train of powder. Pull
your caps over your eyes, and put your heads to the ground."

Then he plunged one of the torches into the little train of gunpowder
that reached from him to the bears. Away flew the little stream of fire
across the den, and then there was a commotion. The powder went off in
sheets and tongues. The bears went off also. They did not stand on
ceremony now. They could not stand such a fiery house, and so they
wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible. With growls and snarls
away they hurried, while Mustagan and Sam and the rest, with the
expiring torches and noisy yells, followed quickly after, keeping them
on the move. Mr Ross and the others heard them coming. They had
wisely retired a little from the mouth of the tunnel, so as to let the
bears get well out before they should catch sight of these new
assailant