250 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



that perhaps female bears with cubs had to feed longer 

 than others to keep up the milk supply. Finally, in 

 order to hold them in sight, I had to go some distance 

 through the woods and climb a ridge to the foot of 

 the clear slope above timber-line. While doing this 

 I noticed a fairly well-beaten bear trail parallel with 

 the coast, just inside the woods. Arriving at the foot 

 of the slope, I saw the old bear feeding opposite, high 

 up, just under the snow-line, not a quarter of a mile 

 above me, and noticed for the first time that the cub 

 was limping. It was the identical bear and cub I 

 had seen on May 8th, and they had kept travelling 

 daily to this point, circling every basin, always high 

 up, on or just below the snow, crossing' the successive 

 mountain tops, as I learned later by observing their 

 trail in the remaining basins. Again. I failed to under- 

 stand their extreme caution. It was with eagerness 

 that I watched the bear, now so near, and how I longed 

 to come within shot ! 



She kept picking up grass, and every little while 

 would stop to dig out a mouse, when the cub would 

 always run up to her, smell about, and watch her with 

 great interest. Every few moments up went the 

 mother's head, swinging sidewise back and forth, to 

 sniff the air ; and then, for the first time, I saw that 

 she constantly looked about with extreme caution. By 

 the way she pricked up her ears she evidently sus- 

 pected some sound 1 that of a bear, I think from the 

 direction of the basin, for she repeatedly looked at 

 one point. Twice as the mother stood still I saw the 

 cub attempt to nurse, but it was immediately cuffed 

 away. Finally the old bear fed along more rapidly, 

 often crossing bands of snow which extended well down 



