138 FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



forenoon, we followed the trail good and hard all day through wind 

 jams and laurel patches, coming to the big windfall just before 

 dark, very tired. 



We put up a rude shelter and camped for the night at the edge 

 of the windfall. In the morning as soon as it was light enough 

 to travel without danger of passing over 1 the trail we were on the 

 move. There were several hundred acres in the windfall so we 

 concluded to go around and make sure that the bear was still there. 

 Bill skirted the jam to the left while I went to the right. Not 

 long after daylight it began to snow. We met on the east side of the 

 jam about 11 o'clock without seeing anything of the crippled bear 

 track, though I had crossed the trail of two bears that had gone into 

 the jam two or three days before. 



We now concluded to go back to where the two bears had gone 

 into the jam and one of us stand near the trail while the other one 

 would drop below the trail and work around on the opposite side 

 and drive them out if he could. The wind was blowing strong from 

 the northeast, which would make it next to impossible for the bears 

 to wind the watches. Bill said that he would watch as he could 

 stand the cold weather better than I could. It was now snowing 

 very hard, and we knew that the bears were aware of the approach- 

 ing storm and had gone to the windfall to go into winter quarters. 

 Chances were that they would not come out unless driven by getting 

 close on to them. We were in hopes that the three bears might be 

 all in one nest, and that the one that did the driving would stand 

 a fair chance to get a shot at them as they left. 



I made my calculations from what I knew of the jam about 

 where the bear would lay. Good luck was on my side this time and 

 I hit it just right, coming on to them from the opposite side from 

 where they had gone in, but I did not see or hear them when they 

 went out. The first thing I knew of their whereabouts was when 

 I came on to where the bears had been breaking laurel brush for 

 their bunk. Will I did some fine looking and listening, but all to no 

 purpose, as they had got the wind of me and had gone out. 

 Undoubtedly they would not have done this had they been in their 

 nest a few days longer and had got well to sleep. 



