Bear Traits 



very point from which I had expected to 

 watch. Closer examination showed that the 

 bear, instead of coming up the valley from 

 below, as I had expected, had entered and left 

 the meadow close by the watching point, and 

 that in coming I had already unwittingly 

 crossed its trail. 



With the experience in New Brunswick just 

 mentioned sharply before me, I studied the 

 situation. One thing was certain : I must be 

 there before him, for he would be likely to 

 bolt as soon as he crossed my trail. At the 

 same time it was now impossible to wait for 

 him at the watching point, for the wind would 

 almost certainly give him my scent as he came 

 down behind me through the woods. Out in 

 the meadow there was no shelter near enough 

 to shoot from. I finally reasoned that if he 

 bolted directly back on his trail, I could 

 scarcely hope for a good shot under any ar- 

 rangement. But, as his trail led sharply up 

 hill, there was a good chance that, instead of 

 turning back, he might head for some dense 

 cover down at one of the extremities of the 

 meadow. I therefore chose a point near that 

 cover, but so situated that I could witness the 

 whole performance, and if he didn't bolt at all 



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