CHAPTER VII
A BIG BLACK BEAR
Something certainly seemed to be the matter with Splash. Bunny and Suehad never seen their dog act in such a funny way. He would dash into thewater, not going far from shore, though, and then he would jump back,barking all the while.
Once or twice he tried to grab, in his sharp teeth, something thatseemed to be swimming in the water. But either Splash could not get it,or he was afraid to come too close to it.
"Oh, Daddy! What is it? What is it?" asked Bunny and Sue.
Mr. Brown, who with Bunker Blue and Uncle Tad, was fastening the lastropes of the tent, hurried down to the shore of the lake.
"What is it? What's the matter, Splash? What is it?" asked Mr. Brown.
Splash never turned around to look at daddy. He again rushed into thewater, barking and snapping his sharp teeth. Then Mr. Brown, taking up astick, ran toward the dog.
"Let it alone, Splash! Let it alone!" cried Daddy Brown. "That's a bigmuskrat, and if it bites you it will make a bad sore. Let it alone!"
Daddy Brown struck at something in the water, and Bunny and Sue, runningdown to the edge of the lake, saw a large, brown animal, with long hair,swimming out toward the middle. Splash started to follow but Mr. Browncaught the dog by the collar.
"No you don't!" cried Bunny's father, "You let that muskrat alone,Splash. He's so big, and such a good swimmer, that he might pull youunder the water and drown you. Let him alone."
Bunker Blue, who had come down to the edge of the lake, threw a stone atthe swimming muskrat. The queer animal at once made a dive and wentunder the water, for muskrats can swim under the water as well as ontop, and Bunny and Sue saw it no more.
Splash rushed around, up and down the shore, barking loudly, but he didnot try to swim out. I think he knew Mr. Brown was right in what hesaid--that it was not good to be bitten by a muskrat.
"Is that what it was, Daddy--a rat?" asked Bunny.
"Yes," answered his father. "Splash must have seen the muskrat swimmingin the water, and tried to get it. The muskrat didn't want to be caught,so it fought back. But I'm glad it got away without being hurt, and I'mglad Splash wasn't bitten."
"What's a muskrat?" Sue wanted to know.
"Well, it's a big rat that lives in the water," said Daddy Brown. "It ismuch larger than the kind of rat that is around houses and barns, and ithas fine, soft fur which trappers sell, to make fur-lined overcoats, andcloaks, for men and women. The fur is very good, and some persons saythe muskrat is good to eat, but I would not like to try eating it. Butthis muskrat was a big one, and as they have sharp teeth, and can bitehard when they are angry, it is a good thing we drove it away."
Bunny and Sue looked out over the lake. They could see the muskrat nolonger, though there was a little ripple in the water where it had diveddown to get away.
"Now we must finish putting up the tents," said Daddy Brown. "It will benight before we know it, and we want a good place to sleep in at CampRest-a-While."
"And are we going to have a fire, where we can cook something?" askedBunny.
"Yes, we'll have the oil stove set up."
"I thought we would have a campfire," said the little boy.
"So we shall!" exclaimed Uncle Tad. "I'll make a campfire for you,children, and we'll bake some potatoes in it. We'll have them forsupper, with whatever else mother cooks on the oil stove."
"I'll get some sticks of wood for the fire!" cried Sue.
"So will I!" added Bunny.
And while the older folk were finishing putting up the tents, and whileMother Brown was getting out the bed clothes, Bunny and Sue made a pileof sticks and twigs for the fire their uncle had promised to make.
Soon the big sleeping tent was put up, and divided into two parts, onefor Sue and her mother, and the other for Bunny and the men folk.Cot-beds were put up in the tent, and blankets, sheets and pillows puton them, so the tent was really like a big bedroom.
"It will be nicer sleeping here than on the ground, like we did in thetent at home that night," said Bunny to Sue.
"Yes, I guess it will," she answered. "My dollie won't catch cold in anice bed."
"Did she catch cold before?" Bunny wanted to know.
"Well, she had the sniffle-snuffles, and that's almost like a cold," Sueanswered.
In the second-sized tent the dining table had been set up, and thechairs put around ready for the first meal, which would be supper.Mother Brown got the dishes out of the box, and called:
"Now, Bunny and Sue, let me see you set the table."
She had taught them at home how to put on the plates, knives, forks,spoons, cups, saucers and whatever was needed, and now Bunny and Suedid this, as their share of the work, while Bunker Blue, and the olderfolk, were busy doing different things.
In the cooking tent the oil stove was set up and lighted, to make sureit burned well. Then Camp Rest-a-While looked just like its name--aplace where boys and girls, as well as men and women could come and havea nice rest, near the beautiful lake.
When everything was nearly finished, and it was about time to startgetting supper, a man came rowing along the shore of the lake in a boat.He called to Mr. Brown:
"Hey, there! Is this where you want your boat left?"
"Yes, thank you. Tie it right there," answered Daddy Brown.
"Oh, is that going to be our boat?" asked Bunny, in delight.
"Yes," answered his father, "I wrote to a man up here that has boats tolet, to bring us a nice one. We'll use it while we are in camp. But youchildren must never get in the boat without asking me, or your mother.You mustn't get in even when it's tied to the shore."
"We won't!" promised Bunny and Sue. Once they had gotten in a boat thatthey thought was tied fast, but it had floated away with them. Theylanded on an island in the river, and had some adventures, of which Ihave told you in the first book of this series.
Bunny and Sue remembered this, so they knew that sometimes it was noteven safe to get in a boat which was tied fast, unless some older personwas with them.
The man left the boat he had brought for Mr. Brown. It was a large oneand would easily hold Bunny and Sue, as well as all the others at CampRest-a-While.
"Now for the roast potatoes!" cried Uncle Tad. "Come on, children! We'llstart our campfire, for I see your mother getting the meat ready tocook, and it takes quite a while to roast potatoes out of doors."
The campfire was built between two big stones, Bunny and Sue bringing upthe wood they had gathered. Uncle Tad lighted the fire, for it is notsafe for children to handle matches, or even be near an open fire,unless some older person is with them. Bunny and Sue had often beentold this, so they were very careful.
When the fire had blazed up good and hot, Uncle Tad let it cool down abit. Then he raked away the red hot embers and put in them some nice,big, round potatoes. These he covered up in the hot ashes, and put onmore wood.
"Now the potatoes are baking," he said. "They will be done in time forsupper."
And what a fine supper it was--that first one in camp! Bunny and Suethought they had never tasted anything so good. They all sat in thedining tent, and Mother Brown put the things on the table.
"Now where are your potatoes, Uncle Tad?" she asked.
"Here they are!" cried the old soldier, as he went to the campfire. Heraked away the ashes and embers with a stick, and on a platter, madefrom a large piece of bark, off a tree, the old soldier poked out anumber of round, black, smoking things.
"Why--why!" exclaimed Sue, in surprise. "I thought you baked _potatoes_,Uncle Tad!"
"So I did, Sue."
"They look like black stones," said Bunny.
"You wait--I'll show you," laughed Uncle Tad. He brought the barkplatter to the table. Taking up a fork he opened one of the round,black, smoking things. Though the outside was burned black from thefire, the inside was almost as white as snow.
"There's baked potatoes for you!" cried Uncle Tad. "Put some salt andbutter on them, and you never tasted anythin
g better! But becareful--for they're very hot!"
Supper over, the dishes were washed and put away. Then there was nothingto do but wait until it was time to go to bed.
"And I think we're all tired enough to go early to-night," said MotherBrown.
"But, before we go," said her husband, "I think we will have a littlerow on the lake in our boat. It is not yet dark."
It was beautiful out on the water, and the sun, sinking down behind thehills, made the clouds look as though they were colored blue, pink,purple and golden.
Bunny and Sue were almost asleep when the boat was headed back towardshore, and their eyes were tight shut, when daddy and mother lifted themout to carry them up to Camp Rest-a-While. The children hardly awakenedwhen they were undressed and put to bed, and soon every one was soundasleep, for it was a dark night.
Bunny Brown was sleeping in the outer part of the bedroom-tent, in a cotnext to his father's. Just what made Bunny awaken he did not know. But,all at once the little fellow sat up on his cot, and looked withwide-open eyes toward the entrance. There was a lantern burning in thetent, and by the light of it Bunny Brown saw a big shaggy animal,standing on its hind legs, and sniffing with its black nose. At firstBunny could not make a sound, he was so frightened, but finally hescreamed:
"Oh, Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! It's a bear! A bear! A big black bear in thetent!"
Then Bunny slipped down between the blankets and covered up his headwith the bed clothes.