174 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



woods near by, apparently looking, all atten- 

 tion, at the windlass, or perhaps they were both 

 looking and listening. On his appearance they 

 stared for a few seconds and then ran off. The 

 prospector occasionally ran a small suction air 

 machine to help ventilate the tunnel and shaft. 

 This caused a peculiar humming, rattling sound, 

 and it may have been the sound made by it 

 that attracted the attention of the cubs. 



There was snow on the ground. On his way to 

 his cabin the prospector saw the cubs' tracks. 

 They had been travelling single file when they 

 became interested in his place of work. All had 

 risen up on hind feet and stood abreast, facing 

 the place, evidently looking, smelling, and listen- 

 ing. Apparently while doing this they had taken 

 alarm. After running back a short distance 

 down their trail they stopped and again stood up. 

 Tracks in the snow showed that they had waited 

 some minutes trying to make up their minds 

 what the excitement was about, and as to the next 

 move they would make. Again advancing single 

 file up the trail, they went beyond the place where 

 they had first stopped and approached much 

 closer to the prospect. But on reaching the edge 

 of the woods they had evidently taken alarm 

 again and retreated single file in their former 

 tracks. They had proceeded once more to the 

 edge of the woods when the prospector appeared. 



