OUR ADVENTURE IN THE CAVE. 159 



might still more enrage the dam. "We wished to save 

 them alive, and asked old Conwell to stay with them 

 and quiet them and to make a fire, while we went after 

 the old one. Conwell sat down, and soon quieted them 

 by giving them a finger to suck. 



About ten feet from the lair the cave divided into two 

 passages of equal size. The fresh marks showed that 

 the bear had taken the one to the right. Presently the 

 cubs began to cry again with renewed force, which ra- 

 ther alarmed us, for we should have been in an awkward 

 predicament if the bear had endeavored to hasten to 

 their help, and found the way blocked up by our bodies ; 

 for, with the best will in the world, she could neither 

 pass over us, nor by our sides, and there was no other 

 way left than to kill us, and eat her way through. While 

 we were consulting together about this matter, in a low 

 voice, the cry suddenly ceased, and we pushed on silently 

 in better spirits ; for, from all that we had seen, this 

 bear was rather more cowardly than usual. 



We went on and on, to the great annoyance of our 

 ribs and elbows, and there seemed to be no end to the 

 cave. There was a peculiarity about it, which I n'ever 

 found in any other, namely, several flat stones about 

 one and two inches thick, which rang like steel when 

 slightly struck with the finger. One place was very re- 

 markable. It was about* fifty or sixty feet long, with 

 similar flat stones on each side, approaching to within 

 six inches of each other in the middle, so that one could 

 have passed through in a sitting posture, with the neck 

 in the narrow part, and the head in the upper compart- 

 ment ; but to say the least, this would have been a rather 



