32 Hunting the Grisly 



but as compared to the forests of the North- 

 east. The ground was covered with pine 

 needles and soft moss, so that it was not diffi- 

 cult to walk noiselessly. Once or twice when 

 I trod on a small dry twig, or let the nails in 

 my shoes clink slightly against a stone, the 

 hunter turned to me with a frown of angry im- 

 patience; but as he walked slowly, continually 

 halting to look ahead, as well as stooping over 

 to examine the trail, I did not find it very dif- 

 ficult to move silently. I kept a little behind 

 him and to one side, save when he crouched to 

 take advantage of some piece of cover, and 

 I crept in his footsteps. I did not look at the 

 trail at all, but kept watching ahead, hoping 

 at any moment to see the game. 



It was not very long before we struck their 

 day beds, which were made on a knoll, where 

 the forest was open and where there was much 

 down timber. After leaving the day beds the 

 animals had at first fed separately around the 

 grassy base and sides of the knoll, and had 

 then made off in their usual single file, going 

 straight to a small pool in the forest. After 

 drinking they had left this pool, and traveled 

 down toward the gorge at the mouth of the 

 basin, the trail leading along the sides of the 

 steep hill, which were dotted by open glades ; 



