A Spring-Gun Avoided 141 



below, he would of necessity run into this stretched cord, 

 and receive the bullet in his side. He had, heretofore, 

 always approached from this direction, but in order to 

 make assurance doubly sure, another gun was rigged 

 above the tree, with a line stretched parallel to the first and 

 about twelve feet from it. 



Having completed these arrangements we returned to 

 camp, but though we slept with one ear open, the expected 

 report was never heard. The next morning when we went 

 out to examine our trap we found written in footprints on 

 the dirt as wonderful a record of animal sagacity as I have 

 ever seen. 



The bear had come as usual for his evening meal. He 

 had come down from his covert, circled the two cedars 

 where our trap still waited for him, crossed the creek, and 

 climbed to where the lower string was stretched across his 

 path. But though he had come up to it he had not touched 

 it. On the contrary his tracks showed that he had turned 

 to his left, followed the string to the barrier of fallen trees, 

 had found himself unable to get around it there, had 

 turned and followed it to the rocks, had found himself 

 blocked there also, and had retraced his steps to the creek. 

 He had then circled the rocky point, had climbed to the 

 flat above, and had tried to reach his cache from the other 

 side. But here he had again encountered the suspicious 

 string. Once more he followed it to the down timber, 

 turned and made his way along to the rocks, and then the 

 wily old fellow had climbed out on to the rocky point and, 

 making his way from ledge to ledge, had arrived safely 

 between the two strings, eaten his meal in comfort, and 

 gone out the way he came. We never got that bear. 



