The Story of Ben ii 



This was repeated again and again until it became 

 evident that only complete exhaustion on the part of 

 one or other of the contestants would end the bout. 

 And I won by a hair. The plucky little fellow let go 

 and was landed squalling in the sack with the others, 

 while I rested up before undertaking my slower journey 

 to the ground. Then we skinned the old bear, cut 

 up the meat, packed the whole on the horses, fastened 

 the sack containing the cubs to one of the packs, and 

 returned to camp. 



Just back of the bark shack which we had built 

 there was a steep bank, and into this, with pick and 

 shovel, we dug a hole. Over the top of the excava- 

 tion we placed poles, and having covered these with 

 bark threw a foot or more of dirt on top, thus making 

 a nice little cave for the cubs. We then gathered pine 

 needles, dried and warmed them by the fire, and filled 

 up the den with them. From a tanned buckskin we 

 cut long thongs, fastened little buckskin collars around 

 our orphans' necks, and so tied them to a stake driven 

 into the ground in front of the cave. We each, nat- 

 urally, laid claim to a cub. And as I was given first 

 choice as a reward for the climbing I had done to get 

 them, I chose the determined, spunky little chap that 

 had been the last one caught. He was the middle one 

 in size, but I made up my mind to treat him gently and 

 keep him, if possible, until he should be a large bear. 

 Jack took the first one caught, it being the smallest 



