Father Bear lay down beside Mother Bear.  “You ought to know me well enough to understand that I don’t allow anything dangerous to come near the cubs.  Talk, instead, of what you have been doing.  I haven’t seen you for a whole week!”

“I’ve been looking about for a new residence,” said Father Bear.  “First I went over to Vermland, to learn from our kinsmen at Ekshaerad how they fared in that country; but I had my trouble for nothing.  There wasn’t a bear’s den left in the whole forest.”

“I believe the humans want the whole earth to themselves,” said Mother Bear.  “Even if we leave people and cattle in peace and live solely upon lignon and insects and green things, we cannot remain unmolested in the forest!  I wonder where we could move to in order to live in peace?”

“We’ve lived comfortably for many years in this pit,” observed Father Bear.  “But I can’t be content here now since the big noise-shop has been built right in our neighbourhood.  Lately I have been taking a look at the land east of Dal River, over by Garpen Mountain.  Old mine pits are plentiful there, too, and other fine retreats.  I thought it looked as if one might be fairly protected against men—­”

The instant Father Bear said this he sat up and began to sniff.

“It’s extraordinary that whenever I speak of human beings I catch that queer scent again,” he remarked.

“Go and see for yourself if you don’t believe me!” challenged Mother Bear.  “I should just like to know where a human being could manage to hide down here?”

The bear walked all around the cave, and nosed.  Finally he went back and lay down without a word.

“What did I tell you?” said Mother Bear.  “But of course you think that no one but yourself has any nose or ears!”

“One can’t be too careful, with such neighbours as we have,” said Father Bear gently.  Then he leaped up with a roar.  As luck would have it, one of the cubs had moved a paw over to Nils Holgersson’s face and the poor little wretch could not breathe, but began to sneeze.  It was impossible for Mother Bear to keep Father Bear back any longer.  He pushed the young ones to right and left and caught sight of the boy before he had time to sit up.

He would have swallowed him instantly if Mother Bear had not cast herself between them.

“Don’t touch him!  He belongs to the cubs,” she said.  “They have had such fun with him the whole evening that they couldn’t bear to eat him up, but wanted to save him until morning.”

Father Bear pushed Mother Bear aside.

“Don’t meddle with what you don’t understand!” he roared.  “Can’t you scent that human odour about him from afar?  I shall eat him at once, or he will play us some mean trick.”

He opened his jaws again; but meanwhile the boy had had time to think, and, quick as a flash, he dug into his knapsack and brought forth some matches—­his sole weapon of defence—­struck one on his leather breeches, and stuck the burning match into the bear’s open mouth.