Then Mr. Brown looked toward the entrance, or front door of the tent.  And, to his surprise, he saw just what Bunny had seen, a big, shaggy, hairy animal, standing on its hind legs, with its black nose up in the air, sniffing and snuffing.

“Why—­why!” exclaimed Mr. Brown, rubbing his eyes to make sure that he was wide awake, and that he was not dreaming, as he thought Bunny might have been.  “Why—­why!  It is a bear!”

“Sniff!  Snuff!” went the big, shaggy creature.

“Daddy—­Daddy!” cried Bunny, his voice sounding faint and far off, because his head was under the covers.  “Daddy, is—­is he gone?”

“No, not yet,” answered Mr. Brown.

“What is it?  What’s the matter?” called Mrs. Brown, from behind the curtain, where she slept.

“Why,” said Mr. Brown slowly.  “It—­it seems to be a——­”

Then he stopped.  He did not want to scare his wife or Sue, by telling them there was a bear in the tent, and yet there was.

“Oh, what is it?” cried Mrs. Brown again.  “I heard Bunny crying!  Is anything the matter with him?”

“No, he’s all right,” answered Bunny’s papa.  That was true enough.  There was really nothing the matter with the little boy.  He was just a bit frightened, that was all.

“But something is the matter,” said Mrs. Brown, “I know there is!  Why don’t you tell me what it is?”

Daddy Brown did not know just what to do.  He sat up in bed, thinking and looking first at the bear and then at Bunny.  All Mr. Brown could see of Bunny was a heap under the bedclothes.  But the bear was in plain sight, standing in the doorway of the tent, sniffing and snuffing near the lighted lantern.

Mr. Brown did not want to speak about the bear.  He thought the big, shaggy creature looked quite gentle, and perhaps it would go away if no one harmed it.  Perhaps it was just looking for something to eat, and as it couldn’t find anything in the bedroom tent it might go to the one where the cooking was done.

Bunker Blue was still sound asleep, and so was Uncle Tad.  Nor had Sue, sleeping next to her mother, in the other part of the tent, been awakened.  Just Bunny Brown, and his father and mother were wide awake.  Oh, yes, of course the bear was not asleep.  I forgot about that.  His little black eyes blinked, and opened and shut, and he wrinkled up his rubber-like nose as he sniffed the air.

“Well, aren’t you going to tell me what it is?  What’s the matter in there?  What happened?” asked Mother Brown.  “If you don’t tell me——­”

By this time Bunny Brown made up his mind that he would be brave.  He uncovered one eye and peered out from beneath the bed clothes.  His first sight was of the bear, who was still there.

“Oh!  Oh!” cried Bunny.  “It is a bear!  It’s a big, black bear!  I didn’t dream it!  It’s real! a real, big, black bear!”

Mrs. Brown heard what her little boy said.