hardly understand what it is to be without these essential articles of
the _cuisine_. In most civilised countries that valuable pachyderm,--
the pig,--supplies the desideratum of lard; and you will scarce
appreciate the importance of this article until you have travelled in a
country where the hog is not found among the domesticated animals. In
such places the smallest morsel of fat is highly prized, for without it,
good cooking is a dry and difficult business.

Such considerations as these determined the fate of the bear. The
hunters well knew that animals of this kind yield large quantities of
the very best fat, which they then stood in want of, and would need
still more during the long nights of winter. Perhaps there might be
more than one bear in the cave; so much the better; one or more, they
must be attacked and killed.

But there was another reason why they had determined to enter the cave;
one of far greater consideration than the killing of the bear. It was
Caspar who had suggested it.

"Why," asked he, "why might we not get out by this very cave? What if
it should prove to run upward, and have an entrance above, or on the
other side of the mountain?"

Both Karl and Ossaroo were startled at the suggestion. The idea put all
of them into a flurry of excitement.

"I have read of such things," continued Caspar; "of great caverns that
extended from one side of a mountain to the other. There is one in
America that has been traced for twelve miles; the Mammoth, I mean!
This might be one of the same kind. You say you saw far into it, Karl?
Let us explore it then, and see where it leads to."

It was but a slight hope, still it was a hope; and it could not cost
much trouble to give the cave a thorough exploration. It would be but a
small matter compared with the construction of ladders to scale the
cliff; besides, they were now convinced by a farther examination of the
precipice that this was not practicable, and had quite abandoned all
thought of it. Should the cavern prove to be of vast extent, and have
another opening elsewhere than in the valley, they might escape from
their terrible prison, and their troubles would be at an end.

With such hopes,--that were indeed little better than fancies,--they
consoled themselves for the moment.

It was resolved, then, that on the morrow the cave was to be entered.
For all the assistance they would have from the light of the sun, they
might as well have beg