2

On the first evening, the three of us were tired after walking for about eight hours. We soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, I heard a strange noise outside. But when I looked out of the tent, there was nothing there.

In the morning, I got up to make breakfast. The bag of food was open.

“Bears,” said Joe. “We should hang the food in a tree tonight.”

Later that day, we stopped in a beautiful field by a stream. We put up the tent and fell asleep.

During the night, the bears came again. This time they took the food from the tree.

“It wasn't high enough. Bears can climb trees. They can smell food from a long way away,” said Ben.

“We must keep the camp clean,” I said. “Bears might think our rubbish is food.”

“OK, let's tidy up and move on. And we should make lots of noise too. If they know where we are, they may not come any closer,” said Joe.

“But if you see a bear,” said Ben, “you mustn't make any sudden moves or make a sound. And above all, you mustn't run. No one can run faster in the forest than a bear. And remember, we dont have a gun to keep us safe!”

That night, we went to sleep…or we tried to.

 

The next day, we stopped at eleven o'clock for a break. While the others were resting, I went for a walk in the forest.

Suddenly, I saw a baby bear playing with some sticks and stones. He looked so soft and friendly, and I remember thinking, “If I reach out, I can just touch him.”

There was a loud noise behind me.

I stood very still. I didn't even turn my head. There was another loud noise. The baby bear looked up, and ran towards me. I turned pale and he ran past me into the woods.

I was still for a few minutes. Then slowly I turned round, and I saw the baby bear and his huge mother walking away.

I ran back to my friends. I have never run so fast.

For the next ten days, every time there was a sudden noise, my blood went cold.