"Where are you, Joel?" cried Davie. He was now too frightened to
move, and he was sure he heard a lion roar, though it was only
his heart beating and thumping; so he sat down on the moss and
pine needles, and waited. Joel would surely come back. Meantime
a little bird came up and perched on the branch above his head,
and sang to him, so he felt less lonely.

Joel, supposing Davie was close behind him, trudged on and on.
"Hooray, we're most there!" he shouted at last. "Come on, Dave,"
and he turned around. "Why--Dave--Dave!"

"I guess he's just back there," and Joel ran on, for there was the
big hole in the rocks, and perhaps he'd really see a bear! and,
O dear! he must have his gun ready. And Joel soon stopped thinking
about David, but bounded ahead as fast as he could, and squirmed
in through the narrow slit, and wriggled along down toward the end
of the cave.

Suddenly a very funny noise struck his ear; it wasn't a bit like
a bear, nor even a wood-chuck, for they couldn't talk. And there
surely were a number of voices. Joel stopped squirming, and
stared with wide eyes into the darkness. It smelt dreadfully in
there, so close and hot, and before he could stop it he gave an
awful sneeze.

"What's that?" exclaimed one of the voices. Then they whispered,
and Joel heard some one say, "We're found out." And another one
said a bad word, and laughed, saying nobody'd ever find them
there.