64 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



covered a mile or more of coast line. In Alaska a 

 backwater is a " sleugh," unless you happen to meet 

 a French Canadian, who terms it "w'c/m." 



Leaving the water-line we struck up into the alder 

 belt, and as fair Fate would have it, suddenly came on 

 a bear track, and amid the countless indents of Bruin's 

 fairy footsteps discoved some that were obviously 

 very new indeed, going towards the sleugh. The 

 sodden ground held the impress like a mould, there 

 was the long flat expanse of the foot, there, well 

 defined and clear, the imprints of the great claws, and 

 at the ends of them the earth furred up slightly. 



There was a low exclamation from Cecily, and right 

 out on the sand-spit, grovelling in the sand for clams, 

 we saw a cumbersome bulk, very much the colour of 

 the scene around him. A bear at last! Stolidly he 

 hunted, nor guessed the presence of enemies in his 

 vicinity. The wind, what little there was, blew over 

 the sea, landwards. We practically held all the trump 

 cards, for the bear was in the open, we were concealed, 

 and the odds seemed unfairly against our quarry. He 

 scraped awhile, and then commenced to walk with 

 rolling gait and slow, obviously his purpose was to 

 enter the alder scrub much lower down than his usual 

 path. 



" Cut him off!" I whispered, and as lightly as we 

 could encumbered with our difficult-to-manoeuvre foot- 

 gear, in silent rushes we ran up the bear-path, and 

 onwards at right angles to the point where we ought 

 to intercept our quarry. Intercept him we did, but 

 I mustn't lay too much stress on our condition of 



