what the other scout had
collected.

"Dead weeds, as sure as anything! Bears don't eat dried weeds, do
they? If he had 'em dripping with wild honey p'raps it might do the
business, because they say bears go crazy when they get sniff of
honeycomb."

"All of which is true enough, Bud," Hugh told him; "but when you think
Ralph expects to coax the bear to come out, you're barking up the
wrong tree. It's my opinion force would be a much better word,
because he means to compel him to vacate."

"Now you have got me guessing, Hugh; If you know, please take me
into the game. There, Ralph's climbing up where the roof is lowest.
It wasn't much of a boost for a fellow as active as he is. What
d'ye think he'll do next?"

"Make for the chimney, unless I'm away off, which I don't think I am.
There, you see he's up already. What does he seem to be doing now,
Bud?"

"Why, I declare if he isn't crunching all that dry stuff down the
old chimney! Oh! now I've got it, Hugh! He's going to smoke the
bear out!"

"I shouldn't wonder but what that is just what he expects to do,"
chuckled Hugh; "and let's watch and see how it works. Ralph knows
how much alarmed a bear will always get after smelling smoke. It
seems to be a part of his nature to dread anything that has to do
with fire. And in case he has had to hustle at some time in the
past to save his bacon from a raging forest fire, of course it's
all the worse. But Ralph is getting ready to put a match to the
dry stuff he has in the chimney. After he has it smouldering good
I reckon he'll give the same a kick, and send it down into the
fireplace. Then watch him clap that short piece of board on top
of the clay chimney, forcing all the smoke to ooze out into the
cabin, filling it full."

Both boys, and the soldier as well, kept their eyes glued upon
the figure of the scout on the roof of the cabin. Ralph was taking
his time. He usually did his work very systematically, and could
be depended on to make a complete job of anything he undertook.

"There, it's beginning to come out of the door, the smoke, I mean!"
exclaimed the anxious Bud.

"I want to get a snap-shot of the event when the bear rushes out,"
said Hugh; "because there are a lot of fellows these days who want
to see the proof every time you tell them a story that seems out
of the common run. The light is good right now, and I believe I
can make a fair picture, with Ralph pressing his board down on the