28 WILD BROTHER 



gested that I visit the bear's den. He would be 

 glad to show me the way. 



Strapping snowshoes on our feet, we set out 

 through the woods for the dead pine tree that 

 marked the spot where Bruno had been born. In 

 the shelter of the forest the snow lay four feet deep 

 on the level, and as we walked comfortably along 

 on its surface, I wondered what these backwoods- 

 men would think if they saw us, as we sometimes 

 do at home, leave the good walking on roads and 

 sidewalks, and tramp with snowshoes across the 

 fields, when there are only a few inches of snow on 

 the ground. But here snowshoes are not used for 

 sport. They are a necessity, and must be worn if 

 one leaves the beaten track. 



The den was not more than a third of a mile 

 from the camp, and it seemed rather strange that 

 the mother bear should have used it that winter, 

 for Gordon built his cabins early in September and 

 moved in during the last of that month. In De- 

 cember one of the men shot a large male bear only 

 a short distance from the camp. In all probability 

 this was Bruno's father. Male bears are often slow 

 about turning in for the winter. 



Close beside the branch road that had been 

 swamped out in January stood the old pine. The 

 opening of the den, as I saw it now, was much 

 larger than when it was first discovered, on Jan- 



