156 The Grizzly Bear 



now helped to postpone their discovery of me. When 

 within fifty feet of me they came to a fallen log, and, when 

 the leader had his front paws on this, he stopped and 

 looked ahead as though he felt that he was nearing that 

 which he sought. The second bear started to pass him, 

 but he turned his head and very gently took his com- 

 panion by the nose with his mouth, whereupon he also 

 stopped, and they both looked straight at me. However, 

 as I did not move a muscle, they seemed unable to make 

 out whether I was a living object or an inanimate one, 

 and they again moved cautiously forward, still in abso- 

 lute silence. When about twenty-five feet away, they 

 again stood up and examined me intently, evidently 

 doubting whether I were a bona-fide stump. Here, in- 

 deed, would have been a glorious opportunity, had I had 

 a camera in hand, and had there been a trifle more light. 

 But they had come as far as they cared to. Dropping 

 silently on to all-fours, they suddenly abandoned their 

 investigations and bolted, only to stop at the end of a 

 hundred feet, stand up again, again approach within fifty 

 feet or so of me, and then turn aside and trail away 

 through the trees. Soon after this, three more grizzlies 

 came down to the forks of the trail. These were a trifle 

 smaller than the others, but by far the handsomest that I 

 had seen. Two of them were rather dark, while the third 

 was a fine-looking animal, with a snow-white head, and 

 silvery as far back as his shoulders. This is a typical 

 marking, but in this case it was strangely accentuated, 

 in spite of which, however, his companions seemed to 

 approve of him since they had intrusted him with the 

 leadership. 



