"Phil, do you mean that you want to snap off a flashlight picture of
the beast backed up against our fireplace?" demanded X-Ray Tyson, as
quick as anything.

"That's what I meant," he was immediately told. "See, here's the whole
apparatus ready for business. All I'd want you to do would be to turn
down the lantern when I gave the word."

"I'll look after that part of it," agreed X-Ray, instantly.

"And I'll hold my hatchet, ready to whack him square between the eyes if
he tries any football rush on us," Ethan remarked, grimly.

"What can I do to help?" demanded Lub, weakly, yet evidently not
relishing the idea of being utterly ignored in all these valorous
preparations.

"If you want to have a place in the lime light, Lub," ventured X-Ray,
sarcastically, "s'pose then you just step up and engage the bear in a
catch-as-catch-can wrestling match. It'll be a splendid chance to prove
to every fellow at home how you had more nerve than any of the rest of
us!"

Of course Lub knew this was all spoken in satire.

"You'll have to excuse me this time, X-Ray; I wouldn't want to run a
chance of spoiling Phil's picture for anything. Guess I'll crawl up in
my bunk again, so as not to take up so much space. I'm afraid that if
Ethan gets to swinging that wood chopper around recklessly he might
gouge me."

Meanwhile Phil had arranged his little apparatus as he wanted, aiming
directly at the bear. He knew that it was focussed just right for a
short distance, because all that had been fixed previously, it being his
intention to have small animals snap off their own pictures at about the
same focussing point, by pulling at a baited trigger that was attached
to the flashlight cartridge by a cord.

"All ready, X-Ray?" he asked, presently.

"Yep--let her go, Phil!"

As he spoke the holder of the lantern turned down the flame. Immediately
the interior of the cabin became almost pitch dark. The bear could be
heard sniffing as before, and evidently regaining some of his courage,
which must have received a rude jolt following that plunge down the
chimney.

Suddenly there was a blinding flash. It was all over in a second, but
the boys could hear the bear scrambling on the hearth. Perhaps the
coals burned his feet again, and forced him to abandon any idea of
trying to escape by the same means he had employed in reaching the
interior of the shack.

"Light up again!" ordered Phil; "it's all over!"

So X-Ray again turned up the w