ary conditions. His hand did not
tremble appreciably; and while in an undoubted hurry he went about his
self appointed task with a deliberation that promised a successful
result.

Then came the snap as the globe was pressed into place. The room was no
longer in darkness. It was possible to see; and with his heart feeling
as though it were trying to climb up in his throat Lub fixed his eyes on
the spot where he had discovered that moving, creeping object.

What he saw thrilled him through and through, so that for the life of
him Lub could not move, or even utter a sound above a whisper. Nor were
the other boys much better off, to tell the truth, for they all stood
there as though rooted firmly to the spot.

CHAPTER VI

GETTING RID OF AN INTRUDER

"Whoo! it's a bear!" yelped Lub, who looked as though his eyes were
trying to pop out of his head.

"Tell me, am I seeing things? Is this a wild dream, or am I gazing on a
real, live, woolly bear?" cried X-Ray Tyson.

Just then, as though suspecting that the clustered boys had evil designs
on him, the small black bear actually growled, and showed its white
teeth.

"Here, keep back, you!" exclaimed Ethan; "we haven't lost any bear that
we know about. Where'd you come from anyhow, and what d'ye want here?"

"Ethan--don't you see, he came down the chimney!" gasped Lub.

"Just what he must have done," added Phil, who was gripping the only
firearm they owned, and wondering what effect a peppering of its tiny
missiles would have on the tough hide of a black bear.

"I bet you he was nosing around up there, and smelled our grub,"
suggested X-Ray, a sudden gleam of light dawning upon him.

"And leaning too far over while he sniffed, he just _fell in_; that's
what you mean, don't you?" demanded Lub.

"Looks that way," assented the other; "but what under the sun are we
going to do about it, I'd like to know? He don't mean to crawl up again
like he came down. See how he acts; I bet you he got scorched, because
there's still some red coals in the fireplace, you notice."

The four boys were huddled in a bunch. It seemed like a case of "in
union there is strength" with them just then. And the bear stood where
he had been at the time of first discovery. He had his snout thrust out,
and was "sniffing" at a great rate. Perhaps it was the human odor that
interested him, though Lub got an idea in his head it may have been the
food that was so close by.

"Phil, do you thin