"No, they are not dead!" he exclaimed.

"They are warm.

But they are awfully sound asleep." "Let's haul them out!" cried Asa; and they now sent me to the wood-sled for two or three small trace-chains.

Asa then crawled in and slipped a chain about the body of one of the bears.

The other two chains were hooked on; and then they slowly hauled the bear out, the old Squire standing by with gun cocked--for we expected every moment that the animal would wake.
But even when out on the snow crust the creature lay as inert as a dead bear.