Hunting in Many Lands 



the grizzly; I should say that his head was 

 rather longer. The generous excavation which 

 this one had made showed that he was no 

 mean representative of his species. 



Not twenty yards away, and near the end of 

 the big tree where I had expected to find him, 

 was a little spring. To this, still without a 

 word, we proceeded, saw where he had stood 

 to drink more than once, doubtless long and 

 deep. To our left, in the soft earth, lay his 

 retreating footsteps — a continuation of the 

 general direction of his previous course. A 

 moment's pause for closer scrutiny, a smile 

 and a whispered word exchanged — just to 

 show that we were not bored ; then, respect- 

 ful of the silence of the darkening woods, we 

 were again upon the trail. It was now easy 

 to see why he had left his lair ; it faced the 

 west, and the heat of the afternoon sun had 

 annoyed him, warmly clad and irritable with 

 high living. 



We had proceeded only about a stone's 

 throw further when I caught a glimpse of our 

 bear. Within twenty paces, under the shadow 

 of a tree at the edge of a cool, umbrageous 

 thicket, between him and the setting sun, lay 

 the beast we were after ; or, as I for a moment 



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