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This place here is called Bear Ridge, and it's about the only collection of rocks and caverns that I know of in this district." "Can't we find a cavern to crawl into?" asked George, his teeth chattering with the cold. "If we find a cavern," advised Thede, "we're likely to find a couple of bears packed away in it!" "I don't care if there are a hundred bears!" grumbled George.
Thede continued to move toward the window, walking with his hands outstretched, as the somnambulist frequently walks. When the boy reached the window he staggered back as if from a blow, then moved forward again, as if bent on leaving the cabin by way of the narrow opening. Will raised himself in the bunk, drew an automatic from under his pillow, and fired point blank at the glass.
There was a crash and the cabin grew cloudy with powder smoke. Thede sat down on the floor abruptly and began rubbing his eyes. "I guess I walked in my sleep," he said. "I do sometimes." The shot had awakened Tommy and Sandy, who came bounding to the floor. "What'd you shoot at?" they asked. "The Little Brass God!" "I guess you've got the Little Brass God on the brain! grinned Sandy.
"After breakfast," Tommy declared, as he sent his plate over for the third helping of the rejuvenated stew, I'm going out and get a specimen of every wild animal in the woods. Then I'm going to put them all into this stew!" "You might put a wolverine into it!" suggested Thede. "Are they good to eat?" demanded Tommy. "They're good to eat game out of the traps, I understand," replied the boy.
Will only laughed, and the boys began the collection of rabbits and squirrels and ducks until Thede was pretty well loaded down. They all walked along together until they came to where it would be necessary to part company because of the different directions to be taken. There Will and Tommy turned toward the south while Thede kept straight on toward the cottage on the island in the swamp.
Directly they bad no difficulty whatever in recognizing Will and Tommy, as they heaped great piles of green boughs on the coals in order to create dense smoke. "The kids are in the center of the stage all right!" laughed Sandy. "I don't see how they dare build fires out in that exposed place," Thede suggested. "There's no knowing who may be prowling around."
The boys heard him drop lightly to the floor and then followed a long silence. Presently Sandy clambered up the log wall and peered inside. He saw Thede standing close against the wall, gazing down at a great haunch of venison which lay on the floor. "If you want to keep that in good condition for eating, hang it out in the frost," laughed Sandy. "We can't afford to lose that!"
"Look here," the boy continued, "I'd like to know what all this fuss is about, anyway. Why should any one in his right mind give old Finklebaum a thousand dollars or five thousand dollars, for that piece of brass? That's what gets me!" Tommy and Sandy looked at each other significantly but made no immediate reply. In a moment Thede went on.
"Oje will get another one in a minute," Thede ventured, overjoyed at the success of the first shot, "and then we can open fire with our automatics." "Holy Moses!" cried Sandy. "Here we've been sitting here watching the panorama with our guns in our pockets! I guess we don't know much about hunting bears, when it comes down to cases." "Well, it isn't too late to shoot yet," Thede declared.
"I seem to see a faint, resemblance in this lad to a boy I used to know as Thede Carson," Will laughed. "He looks now, though, as if he had plenty to eat, and a good place to sleep!" "I have been eating regularly," grinned Thede, "but there's no knowing whether I'll ever connect with another bear steak." "He came up here with Pierre," Sandy explained.
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