132 A TASTE OF MAINE BIRCH. 



sunny, open place amid the mountains. Hither she 

 conducted her two cubs, and the family began life in 

 what might be called their spring residence. The 

 tree above them was for shelter, and for refuge for 

 the cubs in case danger approached, as it soon did in 

 the form of Uncle Nathan. He happened that way 

 soon after the bear had moved. Seeing her track in 

 the snow, he concluded to follow it. When the bear 

 had passed, the snow had been soft and sposhy, and 

 she had " slumped," he said, several inches. It was 

 now hard and slippery. As he neared the tree the 

 track turned and doubled, and tacked this way and 

 that, and led through the worst brush and brambles 

 to be found. This was a shrewd thought of the old 

 bear ; she could thus hear her enemy coming a long 

 time before he drew very near. When Uncle Nathan 

 finally reached the nest, he found it empty, but still 

 warm. Then he began to circle about and look for 

 the bear's foot-prints or nail-prints upon the frozen 

 snow. Not finding them the first time, he took a 

 larger circle, then a still larger ; finally he made a 

 long detour, and spent nearly an hour searching for 

 some clew to the direction the bear had taken, but 

 all to no purpose. Then he returned to the tree and 

 scrutinized it. The foliage was very dense, but pres- 

 ently he made out one of the cubs near the top, 

 standing up amid the branches, and peering down at 

 him. This he killed. Further search only revealed 

 a mass of foliage apparently more dense than usual, 

 but a bullet sent into it was followed by loud whim- 



