CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE BLACK BEAR. 

"Somebody is coming!" ejaculated Sam. "I hope it is Dick, with Mr. Barrow!" 

"So do I," returned Tom. 

Without saying a word more, Jasper Grinder ran from the inner cave and joined Baxter and the guide. His face was pale, and he was evidently much disturbed. 

Soon Baxter and his party were outside, and the Rover boys heard them moving up and down the gully. Several minutes passed, and then came a gunshot, followed by another. 

"I hope they are not firing on Dick or Mr. Barrow," said Sam, with something of a shudder. 

"I guess not," returned his brother. "If they were, we'd probably hear shots in return." 

An hour went by, and then Dan Baxter and the others came back, the guide carrying several rabbits and a large fox. The rabbits were skinned and kept for eating, and the fox was skinned and the carcass thrown away. 

Tom and Sam had expected Jasper Grinder to return to them, but if the former teacher desired to do this, he was prevented by Dan Baxter, who kept his companions close by him, around the fire. 

Slowly the time went by until darkness was upon them. The fire was kept up, but Baxter screened it as much as possible, so that the glare might not penetrate to the forest beyond the gully and prove a beacon to guide Dick and John Barrow to the spot. 

The boys were tired out, and soon Sam sank to sleep, with his hands still tied to the tree roots. Tom tried to keep awake, but half an hour later he, too, was in dreamland.  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. Who hoped to come across Dick and Mr. Barrow?
2. Who wanted to meet up with Dick and Mr. Barrow?
3. Who was keen on crossing Dick and Mr. Barrow?
Q2:
1. Was Sam worried about Dick and Mr. Barrow?
2. Was Sam concerned about the safety of Dick and Mr. Barrow?
3. Did Sam have concerns regarding Dick and Mr. Barrow?
Q3:
1. Why was Sam worried about the safety of Dick and Mr. Barrow?
2. What made Sam concerned regarding Dick and Mr. Barrow's safety?
3. What made Sam think Dick and Mr. Barrow may not be safe?
Q4:
1. Who did Sam expect to return?
2. Who did Sam think would come back?
3. Whose return was Sam expecting?
Q5:
1. What did the guide have in his hands?
2. What was the guide carrying?
3. What did the guide have with him?
Q6:
1. Was Sam tired?
2. Did Sam quickly fall asleep?
3. Was Sam feeling quite snoozy?
Q7:
1. Who was Sam's brother?
2. What was the name of Sam's brother?
3. Who was the sibling of Sam?
Q8:
1. How much later than Sam did Tom stay up?
2. How long after Sam went to bed did Tom stay up?
3. How much later did Tom stay up than Sam?
Q9:
1. Why was Tom less concerned about Dick and Mr. Barrow than Sam?
2. For what reason was Tom less worried about Dick and Mr. Barrow than his brother?
3. What made Tom less concerned regarding Mr. Barrow and Dick than was his brother?
Q10:
1. What job did Baxter have?
2. What job was given to Baxter?
3. What did Baxter need to do?
Q11:
1. What was done with the fox?
2. How did the group use the fox?
3. In what way was the fox used?
Q12:
1. Was Baxter keen on Dick and Barrow finding the group?
2. Did Baxter hope that Dick and Barrow would locate the group?
3. Did Baxter want to make it easy for Dick and Barrow to locate the group?
