"IT NEVER RAINS" 177 



actions, she apparently would scold them, and 

 then coax them to come nearer to her. On 

 the whole, they took their time in search for 

 that dainty dish — the bear-root — quite calmly, 

 and seemed not to anticipate any danger what- 

 ever. 



So we slowly traveled up stream by way of 

 the timber land, and they down stream by way 

 of the river bottom. We consequently were 

 getting nearer and nearer to each other every 

 minute. 



But what is that? Something has hap- 

 pened. The mother bear has signaled the 

 youngsters to come to her. They obey her 

 orders, and join her. She leads them to the 

 river bank, and there the three stand looking 

 across the river, and not down it. Have they 

 gotten a whiff of our scent? 



"No," says the Chief; "the wind is all to the 

 good. Maybe there's another bear coming up 

 behind them." 



We were now not over four hundred yards 

 away. As I very much feared a sudden 

 change in the wind, which might carry our 

 scent to them, my judgment was to try to kill 

 or wound one of the yearlings. If that was 

 done it would hold the mother and the other 

 cub. 



