"Well, we certainly are up against it," sighed Will despondently, as he sat down on a rock, and watched his torch slowly burn. "What can we do?" "Keep on hunting," replied Jed. "I wish we'd stayed in camp, then we wouldn't have had all this trouble. I wonder where Gabe is?" "No telling. Maybe he's lost, too. I wish we'd stayed on the farm." "Oh, don't say that. We'll be all right yet." "I hope so. What's that?" Will sprang to his feet. There came a noise from a dark corner of the cave. It sounded like some one shuffling along. Jed raised his torch and peered forward into the blackness. As he did so there came a menacing growl. "It's a bear! A big bear!" he cried. At the same moment the savage creature rushed at the two boys, who did not know which way to run. CHAPTER XVIII FINDING THE NUGGETS "Quick with your gun, Will!" yelled Jed. "I laid mine down back there!" "So did I," replied his brother. "What'll we do?" The present position of the brothers was perilous in the extreme. They were some distance away from their weapons, which they had rested against the side of the cave, while they debated what they had better do. The bear was rushing straight at them, growling savagely. "Get behind me, Will!" bravely cried Jed. "I'll try to stand him off with my knife," and at that he drew his knife, which had one big blade. [Illustration: "Get behind me, Will!" bravely cried Ted] "I'll get the guns!" cried Will, as he turned to run. But he slipped on a stone, and fell. Jed turned to see what had happened to his brother, and the bear, taking advantage of the lack of attention of the foremost of the lads, gave a lunge forward, placing himself close to Jed. "Look out!" yelled Will, who, from his position on the floor of the cave, saw what was about to happen--that his brother was likely to be clawed by the shaggy brute. Jed turned, but only just in time. Then he did the only thing possible under the circumstances. He hurled his burning torch, which he had caught up, after opening his knife, right into the face of the bear. With a growl of mingled terror and rage the brute halted. It dropped to all-fours. Then, as the blazing mass of bark was on the floor of the cave, right under its nose, bruin turned tail and fled back up the dark recesses of the cave. "Quick!" cried Jed. "The guns, Will! We'll try a shot at him!" Will leaped to his feet and managed to reach the rifles, which were loaded. He handed one to Jed, who took as good aim as he could at the black, shaggy form, which was almost out of sight, the torch giving but a faint light now. The report of the gun nearly deafened the boys, and Jed felt certain that he had missed. But a new plan came into his mind. "Come on, Will!" he cried. "Where?" "Let's follow the brute! He came into the cave, and he must know the way out. That's where he's making for now. Come on, it's our only chance!"