02

Mishook, The Brown Bear Cub

Ivan A. Slivitski

If someone asked you these questions about bears, could you answer them? In what kind of home do bears live? What do they eat? What do they do all winter? The story of Mishook will answer these questions, and tell you many other interesting things about bears.

IN THE DEN

It was March, and the air was cold; snow still covered the earth. But inside the cave in which lived Mishook, the brown bear cub, and his little sister, it was very warm.

The cubs had thick, dark-brown coats, narrow, bluntnoses, and small, round ears. Their tails were so short that they could hardly be seen. Sharp claws peeped out from their toes.

Mishook' s first home was the den that Mother Bruinhad made for the winter which was just ending. In a well-hidden spot at the foot of a mountain, the old bear had dug a hole about twenty feet long, into which she dragged moss, dead leaves, and grass. When she had made these into a soft, warm bed, she piled up a heapof brushwoodin front of the hole. In this warm den Mishook and his sister were born. There they and their mother slept through the long, cold winter.

The bears' den was in a thick, black forest in Russia. No wonder this dark home pleased the Bruin family. Here they found everything that bears like: mountains and valleys, plenty of mush-rooms and berries, and streams full of fish.

Mishook' s mother always kept her children with her for two years. After that time they were strong enough to care for themselves and to live alone. Mishook and his little sister had an older brother and sister who were not yet quite old enough to leave their mother.

The winter had been long, and the cubs had grown very hungry. For four months they had been shut up in a den without eating, and now they were very thin. There had been nothing for them to do all day long but sleep.

Still, winter could not stay forever. It was now March, and spring had come at last. The air was warmer; the snow was gone; and the birds were singing gayly.

The mother now began to go for walks. Whenever she went out, she always left the little ones in the care of the older children. Then Mishook would tease his big brother, for he was full of fun. The older cub stood the teasing for a long time, but one day he gave Mishook such a slap on the head that the young bear cried aloud. That cry brought the mother into the cave. She flew at her older son, and boxed his ears. “You are no longer a young cub like Mishook, ” she said, “Do not be so rough with the little ones.”

THE FIRST WALK

Mishook and his little sister grew bigger every day. At last they had grown so strong that their mother thought it was time to take them out for a walk. So one fine morning she told them to follow her. In front walked the old bear; behind her came Mishook and his young sister; last of all came the older cubs.

Mother Bruin showed her children how to find food. She squeezed some bugs in her paws and ate them. Then she caught a butterfly which was flying around her, and gave it to Mishook. How happy the cubs were as they frisked about!

The older cubs soon found some bushes covered with raspberries. Then the mother bear saw some young pine trees on the other side of a swamp, and went to feast upon the pale-green twigs.

But the older cubs forgot their young brother and sister, and wanderedaway. When the little ones found that they were alone, they started across the swamp to join their mother. At that moment the old bear looked up and saw them.

With an angry cry, she called to her older son, who was now far off. When he hurried to his mother' s side, she gave him a blow on the head. The young cub knew very well why he was being punished. So he went quickly to Mishook and carried him back across the swamp.

Then he went to get his little sister and started back with her. But just before he reached the edge of the swamp, he let his sister fall into the water. At this his mother became so angry that she gave him another hard blow. Then she herself carried the young cub to the shore. They now went on their way. But after a time Mother Bruin lay down to rest, while the older cubs walked off, looking for something to eat.

“Well, my dears, ” the old bear asked the little cubs, “is it not nice to go for a walk? ”

“Oh, mother dear, it is so nice, so very nice that we never want to go back to the den any more, ” answered Mishook and his sister.

Just then Mishook saw something that surprised him. “Oh, mother! ” he cried, “what are those two ugly creatures up there in that tree? ”

“What ugly creatures do you mean? ” scolded his mother. “Don' t you know your own brother and sister? Look how high they have climbed! ”

“Mother, do let us climb up to them! ” cried the younger cubs eagerly.

“Climb if you like, ” said the old bear.

The cubs ran toward the tree. From the very first, they found it easy to climb, for their sharp claws helped them to hold on to the bark. But getting down again was not so easy.

After this the happy bears went on with their pleasant walk. All at once a breeze came up, bringing the smell of something sweet to Mishook. What could it be? He did not know; but his mother did—it was the smell of honey.

Then the whole Bruin family set off to find the honey. They trotted along for about half a mile before they reached an old hollow tree which was the home of the bees. Mother Bear broke the tree open with her strong paws, and the bear family began to eat the honey. The poor bees tried to drive them away by stinging them. But this did not trouble the mother and the older cubs. Their thick fur protected them, and they went on eating the sweet honey.

Mishook enjoyed the honey, too, until one angry bee stung his tender nose. Then the little cub growled furiously, shook his head, jumped, snorted, and spun around like a top. At last he beat off the bee with his paws, By this time the sun was high in the sky, The Bruin family grew very warm in their heavy fur; so they hurried back to the cool, shady den.

GETTING READY FOR WINTER

As the summer passed, the cubs grew bigger and stronger every day. They did nothing but eat, and yet the fishes, bugs, nuts, and berries were not enough for them.

Mother Bruin saw that her children were always hungry, “How thin you are! ” she cried, “You cannot sleep through a whole winter with no more fat than you have now, my children. You must eat meat. Then you will grow fat enough to sleep all winter without eating, ”So she went toward the village until she came to a large pasture. There she killed a fine black horse, which she dragged into the forest. She and her cubs feasted on the fresh meat until they had all they wanted. Then they crept far into the dark woods and lay down for a quiet sleep.

From this time on, each day brought new trouble to the village. Bee-hives were robbed; one farmer lost a cow, another a horse. The Bruin family became very, very fat. As for Mishook, he was as round as a log.

At last autumn came, and the mother bear made a large, new den. In October the whole family slept in it most of the time. Once in a while the mother went out to hunt for food. Then she would say to her children,“Don' t go far away, my dears; the snow may fall at any moment, and we must not leave tracks in the snow. Men will find us and kill us if we do.”

Soon the north wind began to blow, rain fell often, and the mornings became colder. The birds had long ago flown away to a warmer country. By this time the bears had grown very sleepy. Now Mother Bruin would not let her cubs eat much, but she told them to drink all the water they wanted.

One day, when they were all in the cave, she said: “It is time to take a long rest, children. We are not going out again until springtime. Mishook and his little sister must lie down in the back of the den, and the older cubs in front of them. I will stretch myself near the opening.”

Mother Bruin then closed the mouth of the cave with brushwood, and the bears fell asleep. The den was soon covered deep with snow. Not again until spring would Mishook and his family leave the warm cave.