valley.

"Will the ice go out of the river to-day?" Cuffy asked.

"Well, now--" Mr. Bear said, "it might. And then again, it might not."
Mr. Bear never said a thing was _so_ unless he was sure of it.

Now, Cuffy thought it would be great fun to go down into the valley and
find out for himself if the ice really did go out. He had an idea that
it caused a terrific splitting and crashing and thundering noise and he
thought that perhaps some fish would be tossed up on the bank and then
he would have a good lunch.

When Mr. Bear had gone off down the mountain, "to see a bear," as he
explained to his wife, little Cuffy sneaked away from the house. His
mother was making the beds, and Silkie was pretending to help her. Now,
nobody _sneaks_ unless he knows he is doing something wrong. Cuffy knew
that his parents would not let him go down into the valley alone, so he
went without asking. And when he did at last come to the river there
was ice along both banks; but between them ran a broad stream of swift
water.

"The ice must have gone out in the night," Cuffy said to himself. And he
looked about in the hope of finding some fish on the banks. But not one
fish could he find.

He was disappointed. And he crept out onto the ice as far as he could go
and peeped over the edge into the water. He thought maybe he could at
least catch a fish with his paw.