112 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



your eyes; just as when you open and read what you white men 

 call a book. And some day, my son, if you try hard to learn, 

 you, too, may be able to read the tales of the Strong Woods 

 Country. Now listen to your grandfather and he will explain: 

 under ordinary conditions a deep, clear track implies action; 

 a faint, shallow one, inaction; the length of the stride indicates 

 the speed; if, when travelling slow, hair is found upon the under- 

 wood, the animal passed at night, for in daylight a bear is as 

 careful as a lynx to avoid striking things; if the bear is young 

 or middle aged, the claw marks are sharp and clean cut; if it is 

 old, they are blunt and blurred. The tracks of the male, 

 though larger, are not so round as those of the female, and the 

 male's toes are not only longer and spread farther apart, but the 

 underside of his foot is not so hairy as that of his mate. Then, 

 too, as you know, there are other signs by which a tracker tells 

 the sex of his quarry. Now if the bear was travelling with a 

 definite purpose in mind, he would travel straight, or as nearly 

 straight as he could through the woods, and in order to save 

 time, he might even occasionally climb a tree to spy out the lay 

 of the land — as he frequently does. Then, again, if he were 

 feeding, the ground and growth beside his trail would show it; 

 if suddenly startled, he would leave the familiar sign that all 

 large animals usually leave when frightened; and, moreover, it 

 would be left within fifty paces of the place where he took 

 fright. Furthermore, if he were tired and wanted to rest, he 

 would begin circling down wind, so that he could come about 

 close to his back trail, and then he down, facing down wind, in 

 such a position that he could see anything he could not scent, 

 and scent anything he could not see. Thus if an enemy ap- 

 proached, his eyes would guard his front while his scent would 

 guard his rear. And now, my son, as a bear usually travels up 

 wind, even a monias of a white man could surmise which way 

 the wind was blowing when the track was made. And always 

 remember, my son, that only fools laugh at common sense. 



