24 WILD BROTHER 
they were interrupted by a plaintive cry from the 
hole in the ground. They stopped and listened. 
Again they heard it, a whimpering, pitiful call of 
distress. 
The cook lay flat on the snow, and reaching down 
into the den touched a small soft object. Wonder- 
ingly he drew it forth into the daylight. To his 
amazement he beheld a tiny little bear, no larger 
than a gray squirrel. Its eyes were not open, and 
it wriggled helplessly in his hand. 
Of course the men, when they killed the bear, 
did not know about the cub down below, but it 
probably would have made no difference if they 
had. Bearskins were worth twenty-five dollars, 
and the state would pay a bounty of ten dollars; 
moreover, the meat was needed in the lumber- 
camp for food. 
Few people realize how diminutive at birth 
black-bear cubs are. They weigh only from nine to 
twelve ounces, and are about the size of a little 
kitten. Their bodies are almost naked — only 
partly covered with short dark hair. Their eyes 
remain shut until they are about five weeks old. 
Not until their mother takes them out in the warm 
weather of spring, when they are three to four 
months old, do the cubs leave their birthplace. 
They are never seen in the woods until they have 
grown considerably and can run about with ease 
