BRUIN'S CAVE, 157 



which were a great hindrance, and we often nad con- 

 Biderable difficulty in pushing ourselves through. 



Apparently, we were the first whites, indeed the first 

 men, who had ever ventured into the place, for the 

 ground retained every impression that had been made in 

 it. In some places the marks of the bears were pet- 

 rified, having perhaps been left centuries ago. Once the 

 thought occurred to me : should we ever get out again, 

 or perish here from hunger ? I went on however, all my 

 senses on the stretch, to discover the sleeping bear. 



We disturbed immense numbers of bats with our 

 torches, and found also several crickets and a few blue- 

 bottle flies. When my torch was nearly burnt out, 1 

 stopped for a supply from young Conwell ; the moment 

 I remained quite still, I thought I heard a low whining 

 not far off; and listening attentively, I distinctly heard 

 the sound bear cubs make in sucking, and a low deep 

 growling ; so there was no longer any doubt but that we 

 were near a she-bear with cubs. 



The place where I had stopped was rather more 

 roomy, so that I could sit up, and I turned to the two 

 Conwells and asked if they heard the sound, which they 

 answered with a whispered " Yes ;" and we held a 

 short council as to further proceedings. In the first 

 place, the cave was smaller further on secondly we had 

 only expected a sleeping bear, instead of a she-bear 

 awake and with cubs, for which it was rather early in 

 the season ; though C. told me afterwards, that in Ar- 

 kansas he had occasionally met with bear cubs as early 

 as January. Whoever has seen a she-bear defend her 

 young, with ears laid back and open jaws, may form 



