f it. "E-ee-ee! How good it smells," he cried. "I just believe that is
Omnok's 'pooksack' of seal oil which mother has been talking about!"
Little Black Bear's mouth began to water and water, for his mother had
told him there was nothing half so good in the world as fine, rich seal
oil.

Now how was Little Black Bear going to get that oil out of that
"pooksack"? He thought and thought and thought. At last he remembered
the sleeves which were tied up. They were tied way down at the ends, and
there must be seal oil right down to the very tips. His mouth was too
small to bite the "pooksack", but one of these sleeves,--that was the
very thing! He would bite one of those, hard! with his sharp teeth, and
the oil would come right out into his mouth!

He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach, but at last he set his teeth
hard and _Ah-ne-ca!_ How good that seal oil did taste! It went gurgle,
gurgle, right down his throat so fast he could hardly get time to
swallow.

But very soon he began to feel as if he had had quite enough. How was he
going to stop the seal oil from coming out? Well, he couldn't do that.
He would just have to open his mouth and dodge right out of the way
quick. "That will be easy," he thought to himself. Anyway, he took two
or three more swallows, then he opened his mouth wide, and _Ah-ne-ca!_
before he could move one bit, that seal oil shot him right in the eyes
and ears and began to run down his back so fast he couldn't even give
one grunt. You should have seen that little bear! He was oil from head
to foot! And as for his fine, silky, glossy, black coat, he was just
sure it was ruined! He didn't stop a minute to see if Little White Bear
was out of Omnok's house, but ran home as fast as ever he could.

"Why! Why!" cried his mother, as he came into the house. "Where have you
been?"

Little Black Bear couldn't say a word. He just crawled over in one
corner and looked down at his toes.

And was his coat really ruined? Ask puss if her coat is ruined some day
when she comes in out of the rain, and see what she will say. Mother
Black Bear cleaned that coat up that very night so it looked better then
new, but how she did it I wouldn't pretend to say.

CHAPTER X

FUN FOR TWO LITTLE BEARS

Little White Bear and Little Black Bear met at the snow hill next day,
but Little White Bear didn't jump into Little Black Bear's sharp claws,
and you may be very, very sure they didn't go exploring around Omnok'