198 BIG GAME FIELDS 



this brown bear had been doing while I was doing 

 battle with his brother, for I knew perfectly well 

 he was not standing there all that time watching 

 me, even if it was only a matter of two or three 

 seconds. A bear can get a long ways in that time. 

 I back-tracked him in the snow to where he had, 

 without a doubt, come out of a deep cleft in the 

 rocks. The opening was large enough to enter in 

 a stooping position, and I could see where he had 

 gone in and come out. Of course I could see 

 where he had come out, for I have enough caution 

 not to walk into caverns when the tracks are all 

 going in and none coming out; that means, as 

 a rule, your friend is at home, and although I 

 have no great dread of bears, I would not, of 

 course, care to be as familiar as this. The cave 

 immediately narrowed down and turned off at a 

 sharp angle, so I could not comfortably go far- 

 ther. It was my conclusion that he was either 

 getting ready to den up or was doing a little ex- 

 ploring on his own account; or again, at the 

 very end of the cave he might have stored up some 

 dainty morsel of food, hiding it away from his 

 little brother. But whatever his object, he was 

 evidently there when I first shot, and had run out 

 a short way when we probably discovered each 

 other at the same moment. 



