“’Twas so,” said Jerry; “but I guess you would n’t have done quite so well as that.”

“I bet I should have tried, at any rate,” said Oscar, who really was not deficient in courage, though he had hardly practiced hunting enough to justify him in believing that he could master so savage an animal as a bear.

Having rested themselves, the boys resumed their journey, and after ten minutes’ hard work, reached the top of the range of hills.  The highest summit was a bare ledge of rock, and they concluded to climb to the top of it, for the sake of the view to be obtained.  It was called “Prospect Rock,” and was very appropriately named.  As the boys stood upon it, the country for miles around was spread out at their feet,—­houses, and cultivated fields, and forests, and roads, and narrow streams.  A distant mountain was visible in the west, which Jerry said was about twenty miles off, though it seemed much nearer.  After enjoying the scene a few minutes, they began to descend the hill on the other side.  They kept their eyes open, for game, but they saw only a few squirrels, and one rabbit, which bounded off, and was out of sight in a moment.  Jerry pointed out to Oscar a woodchuck’s hole, near the foot of the hill.

“I should like to see a woodchuck,” said Oscar; “what do they look like?”

“They ’re about as big as a rabbit, and are of a brownish color,” replied Jerry.

“Do you suppose there’s one in that hole?” inquired Oscar; “let’s see if we can’t scare him out.”

“I don’t know whether there is or not,” replied Jerry; “but if there was, we could n’t dig him out without shovels.  They burrow real deep.  If we had brought a dog with us, how he would dig into that hole!”

“I wish I had my Tiger here,” said Oscar; “it’s too bad father would n’t let me bring him with me.”

Oscar thrust his cane into the hole, but did not reach the end of it; and if the occupant of the tenement was within, he did not think it worth while to show himself.  The boys accordingly renewed their journey.  After they had reached the foot of the hill, they had to cross a swamp.  With its wet and miry bottom, and its dense growth of vines, bushes, and small trees, this was no easy matter; but they succeeded in getting through with no damage save wet feet, a few slight scratches, and a good many mosquito bites.  This latter trouble was the most serious of all.  The mosquitoes were large and ferocious.  They bit right through jacket, vest, and all, and Oscar declared that their sharp stings even penetrated his boots.

After the boys emerged from the swamp, they came to the road in which the man met a bear.  They followed this road a short distance, till it brought them to the shore of a large and beautiful pond.  Leaving the highway, they now walked along by the edge of the water, and soon came to the old hut they were in pursuit of.  It was but a few rods from the pond, and was directly under the brow of a steep and rocky hill.  It had a very old and decayed appearance.  The roof had fallen in, the door had disappeared, and the single window was without sash or glass.  It contained but one apartment, and that was very small, and so choked up with rubbish that the boys did not try to enter.