BEAR HUNTING 267 



tflo_[)c wliicli luokccl as ii" it would (iccup\- him suiiic time. 

 Tf M'o wont up a little to tlu^ left (»!" this wc should be 

 under tlic wind, and mi^ht hope to encounter Iniu, if he 

 continued his present course. It was everything to cover 

 the intervening ground in the shortest possihir time. The 

 young peasant did not seem anxious tu improve his ac- 

 (piaintance with bears, besides which, like most Norwegians, 

 lie wore \'er\' dark and conspicuous clothes. So we left 

 him behind, with orders to remain where lie was, and il 

 necessary to signal the movements of the liear. ]My young 

 companion and 1 were both in first-rate condition, and we 

 went up through that wood at a pace which would be hard 

 to beat. In twenty minuti's we must have got up nearly 

 a thousand feet, and it was now of the greatest consequence 

 to get a sight of the bear as soon as possible. Fortunately 

 there was a rocky ridge close to us wliicli rose abo\'e the 

 tops of the trees. This we climbed and eagerly scanned the 

 prospect. To our great joy we soon again mndc out our 

 fiit'iid, who was still busy witli his breakfast and remained 

 nearly in ilic [)Osition which he had occupied when we lelt 

 the bottom of the valley. Diving once more into the 

 gully which scored the mountain side, we again rapidly 

 rose, and in ten minutes more had reaclit d, what I judged 

 to be, the proper le\el of the place where he had been last 

 seen ; I)ut now tlic bear had cntiivl\' disappeared. AVc 

 cautiously drew along the mountain side towards the spot 

 where he had been feedino; but could make out nothing. 



There were several little coppices of dwarf birches near 

 where \\r had been ; he must 1)e hidden in one of them. 

 We sat <h>w"n ;ind 'jot out i>ur ;_:lasse8, for a nmrc careful 

 inspection. After a long search i made out a patch of 



