The first bear cub was now on the boat! They had done it! Even though only half the task was done, the fishermen were confident that the net would work and they would be able to repeat the process with the second cub.
However, it may not be quite as simple, as this cub was swimming further away from the boat, and had been in the water longer so was going to be exhausted from trying to tread water for even more time than his brother cub.
Weighed Down by Water
Even though these were not fully-grown bears, who as adults can weigh as much as 1300 pounds, they still weighed a considerable amount.
They were also soaking wet which meant their fur was weighed down by water, making them even heavier for the fisherman to try and lift them out of the lake. There was a fear that the cubs would be too heavy to be pulled from the water but the fishermen persevered.
Keep Pulling
The fishermen feared they may not succeed in rescuing the cubs and so they had to muster all of their strength to keep pulling. Slowly by surely, the fishermen worked, and the first cub inched closer to the deck of the boat.
They were nearly there and both the cub and fishermen felt how close they were to this ordeal is over. It was a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Excitedly, the fishermen pulled on the net one more time. They were so nearly there.
Catch the Cub
This was still a dangerous situation for both fishermen and the second bear cub, but now the fishermen knew what to do in order to rescue him from the lake successfully.
They navigated the boat closer to where the cub was swimming and threw the net out into the water to catch the cub. The second time around the fishermen knew how the process should go and so things were a little easier. They encased the cub in the net and began to draw him closer to the boat.
Brothers on Board
The fishermen used all their remaining energy to pull the second bear cub onto the deck of their ship. They had succeeded once already so they knew how much effort it would take but they were willing to put it in to rescue the second cub.
He was also heavy, fur soaked with water but they managed to hoist him up onto the deck, and they were now both safe. The fishermen needed to decide their next steps in dealing with the cubs.