"What! And use all of our 'safety first' before dawn! If you waste the
wood now, what will you do when old grizzly comes prowling home and
finds your fires dying down?" said Polly.
"Well, do have one of us go and tend the fire carefully so it can't
possibly die down and let him in!" added Anne.
"We are almost through exploring, so we may as well finish! Then we
will all go and have supper and feed the animals."
The remainder of the cave proved to be a rocky wall gradually sloping
down until it reached the entrance again. But, just at one side of the
"thumb" was an aperture from which the wind blew in, as could be seen
when Polly held her torch down to the opening.
"That leads out somewhere, and that opening is big enough to let a
panther creep through, or a wild-cat! I'd like to crawl through there
and make sure where it comes out and if it is quite safe on the other
side," suggested Polly, looking at the girls.
"Oh, Polly dear! Don't do it! Suppose something should happen to you!"
cried Anne.
"Why, I wouldn't let it, Anne! If I creep through that tunnel, I'd
shove the torch in first and keep it moving ahead of me all the way, so
that nothing could grab me, you see!" said Polly, half laughingly.
"I say, Polly, let well enough alone. Let's go back and get supper and
rest for to-morrow!" advised Barbara.
"But just s'posing a rattle-snake was coiled up inside that tunnel! A
burro wouldn't smell it, and it could crawl out during the night and
take a good straight bite!" teased Eleanor.
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