LOOKING OUT FOR TRACKS. 253 



again, should the reader have time and inclination to 

 do so, for though romantic incidents may be too much 

 drawn upon to keep up the interest of the narrative, 

 the facts themselves throughout the book are mainly 

 historical, and represent actual occurrences in real 

 life, which took place in 1776.* We mention these 

 details because it is common to hear people throwing 

 cold water on such things, condemning them as 

 "travellers' tales," and mere fantasies of imagination. 

 It is a fact however, that the trail of a man or an 

 animal can sometimes be followed almost exactly as 

 described by Cooper, for long distances, without any 

 actual footprints being seen to guide the tracksman. 

 The great mistake the beginner generally falls into 

 is to keep his eyes fixed on the ground, close in front 

 of him, on the look-out for these footprints, whereas 

 he should also be continually surveying the landscape 

 far away in advance, especially when the trail is 

 among grass, weeds, or low brushwood. If the trail 

 is freshly made mere touches to the grass etc. will 

 shake the dew-drops off from it, and cause a slight, 

 but still quite perceptible change in its colour, best 

 seen some distance away, rather than quite near by; 

 the heads of long grass and weeds will also all be 

 seen to have been slightly brushed forward, in the same 

 direction as that in which the creature that made the 

 trail was going thus placing the question as to the 

 point towards which it was travelling beyond a doubt. 

 The same will often occur upon damp leaves, moss, 

 or especially in dry sand; in these cases little par- 



* In our chapter upon the Region of the Great Plains in Vol. ii. we 

 have given an outline of the authentic historical details of this remark- 

 able case 



