e after another, and giving himself a hearty shake instead of washing,
shaving, and combing, he scuffled to the entrance of the cavern and
sniffed at the fresh air. He sniffed and sniffed, and the more he
sniffed, the more certainly did his nose whisper that there was
something else besides fresh air which he was inhaling. The smell of the
fresh air, too, or the _something else_, caused him a tremendous
appetite, which was every moment becoming greater; and then it entered
his bearish brain that where there was a smell there must be something
to occasion it. Whereupon, following that great nose of his--and he
could not have had a better guide--he scuffled out of the cavern and
down the path, till he reached a little mound of earth and leaves,
where, the odour being strongest, he squatted down. With his great paws
he soon demolished the entrance to his mamma's larder, and lost no time
in pulling out some of the dainties it contained, which, without more
ado, he set about devouring. Meanwhile his brothers, who had been
aroused by the affectionate conduct of the eldest, were by this time
also wide awake, and had quite as good appetites as Bruin himself; and
though on ordinary occasions they stood in great awe of that most
ill-tempered brute, it must be admitted that this was an
_extra_-ordinary occasion, and they acted accordingly. Just fancy being
months without anything to eat, and having appetites fierce enough to
devour one another!

So they rushed to the spot where Bruin was making so excellent a meal,
and without any other apology than a short grunt or two, they seized
upon some of the hidden treasures, and with little ceremony crammed them
into their hungry jaws. Bruin was thunderstruck! Never before had they
ever presumed to dip their paws into his dish, and now they were
actually before his face, converting the most delicate morsels to their
own use, and, as it were, taking the food out of his very mouth! After
an internal struggle of a few seconds, during which it seemed doubtful
whether his emotions or his greediness in filling his jaws so full would
choke him, he uttered a savage growl, and, with one stroke of his huge
paw, felled his younger brother to the ground. Then turning to the
second, he flew at him like a fury, and seemed resolved to make him
share a similar fate; but the other, who was not wanting in courage, and
who was strengthened by the idea that there was something still in the
larder worth fight