HUNTING THE BEAR 251 



the slope, sometimes digging down into the snow for 

 a mouse, until at last she began to travel without 

 stopping to feed, always ascending higher. Once she 

 was obliged to descend slightly in order to pass around 

 the foot of a cliff, and there, turning upward, she dis- 

 appeared at the point where the spur curves to form 

 the basin. Deciding on what seemed my only chance, 

 I started to climb diagonally, so as to keep the bear 

 above me and allow the wind, blowing strong at a 

 right angle to my line of ascent, to carry my scent 

 below her. 



Now I was on a beautiful, clear pasture slope lead- 

 ing directly to the basin, while all about the surface 

 were very fresh bear diggings, showing that a bear 

 was regularly feeding there ; and it was a matter of 

 great regret that I was obliged to proceed along it 

 with the wind, and thus perhaps frighten off this other 

 bear that might be feeding or resting beyond'. I circled 

 up under the cliffs to the point where the bear was 

 last seen, and found that on the other side the slopes 

 were very high, rocky, and broken with canons and 

 gorges ; nor could I see the bear. I felt that in such 

 a rough country it would be impossible to keep her 

 in sight, and that, as she was travelling, my chances 

 were gone. I went a short distance .along the slope 

 to the first gorge, which was filled with snow extend- 

 ing clear up to the snow-line above. No bear track 

 had crossed it. I took out my glasses and examined 

 all the snow above ; still no bear tracks ! Then I 

 knew that she was lying' down somewhere directly 

 above me, in the space between the cliffs and the 

 gorge, concealed in one of the clumps of stunted spruce 

 close to the snow-line. I immediately started upwards, 



