earing
evidently deemed this just the proper time to make its presence known,
for it stepped boldly out from behind its shelter. Its right eye was
closed tight by an enormous swelling, and its nose was twice its
natural size, but it strode forward with head up and dignity in its
tread.

"Chris," shouted in delight the three beside the fire.

The little darky looked down on the pile of burnt and ruined meat in
disgust. "I knowed you chillen's would go an' spoil de best part ob my
bear. Now you-all jis get out ob de way an' dis nigger goin' to show
you how to cook b'ar meat."

"But it's so tough, Chris, that we can't chew it," Walter objected.

"You chillens jes get out of de way like I tells you," said the little
negro vaingloriously. "Just come back in forty minutes an' dinner will
be ready. Leave dis nigger alone 'till then 'cause he's powerful cross
to-day."

Charley nudged the captain and Walter and the three withdrew to a
little distance, leaving Chris in possession of the field.

"Chris will fix it up all right," Charley assured them. "While he's at
it, let's have a try for some of the honey the bear was into," he
suggested.

His two companions gave an eager assent.

CHAPTER XI.

THE PAWPAWS.

Three more torches of palmetto leaves were quickly made, lighted up,
and, with extra handfuls of the green leaves, our party advanced
towards the tree where they had first seen the bear. They were met by
a buzzing horde of the workers who swarmed out to defend their homes,
but these were soon silenced by the pungent smoke of the torches and
our hunters soon stood by the tree where bruin had met his Waterloo.

A few feet from the ground was a massive limb and a little above it was
a cavity in the trunk itself, around which more bees buzzed
industriously. A few waves of the smoke torches quieted these, and
Charley swung himself up on the limb beside the hole. A little more
smoke completed the job and with his hunting-knife he dug out great
squares of the clear, dripping comb, which he passed down to his
companions who had stripped off a slab of hickory bark for its
reception.

"That is more than we can eat," he at last declared, slipping to the
ground, "besides I've got a 'hunch' that Chris has got that bear meat
ready for us and I am hungry as a wolf."

"It may be cooked all right but it will still be too tough to eat,"
mourned Walter.

"Don't you believe it," chuckled Charley, "those bear st