i 3 2 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



followed the tracks. It might be that the cub 

 was also going to the beaver colony. Before 

 going on I looked ahead hoping to see him. 



Following the bear's tracks they showed that 

 he had seen a snowball rolling down the moun- 

 tain side near him and turned to one side. The 

 scattered snow pieces on a steep place showed 

 that he must have seen the snowball coming 

 down and struck it while still rolling. 



Just beyond he evidently concluded to coast. 

 He climbed a few steps to the top of a steep 

 place. Commonly when a grizzly coasts he sits 

 down in the snow and pushes himself going with 

 a forepaw. But this young black bear threw 

 himself forward and slid down on his stomach. 



Some distance farther he had stopped to 

 play with a willow. This had been bent down 

 with wet snow, probably was just rising as he 

 passed, and seeing it move he had stopped to 

 play with it. He boxed it two or three times, 

 then walked around it as though watching it 

 or expecting it to make a jump. But it did not. 

 After he started on he did the jumping. 



His tracks showed that he had suddenly made 

 a long jump behind a willow clump and from 

 behind this he had peeked around, first one side 

 and then the other, as he stood up on hind feet. 

 What had frightened him ? Going in the direc- 

 tion he had been going when he leaped behind the 



