302 WITH GUN AND GUIDE 



and a half miles down the river might by this time 

 have become putrid enough to attract some roving 

 grizzly to feed upon it, or to cover it up, according to 

 bear custom, for future use. 



So, even before his comrades started, he bid them 

 farewell, and was off to the burnt land. A copious 

 rain during the night had made the willow brush very 

 wet, so that when the scene of the black bear's last 

 feast of blueberries was reached, he was wet through 

 and through. In addition, a high wind was blowing 

 down the river, and he was thus liable to do more harm 

 than good in watching for a bear which would be pretty 

 certain to get his scent. Therefore, he returned to the 

 cabin at noontime. Kibbee, in the afternoon, went 

 down the river in the boat to see if there were any 

 fresh signs and returned without having seen any. 



Tuesday morning both of us were off at daybreak, 

 and when the burnt land was reached we found the 

 carcass of the black bear yet unmolested. I had lunch 

 with me, and having found a spot in a corner formed 

 by two large logs lying at right angles, where the 

 carcass was in plain sight, I fixed up a comfortable seat 

 and prepared to spend the day there ; Kibbee, in the 

 meantime, going down the river some fourteen miles to 

 visit a half-breed, upon whose territory we were hunting. 



Nothing happened during the day with the excep- 

 tion of a violent thunder and hail storm that moved 

 down a valley behind a high range of mountains to 



