Trail and Camp-Fire 



would have a fairly good chance to stalk him 

 at the bait. 



Shortly before sunset, my eye caught the 

 glint of the sun's rays on something moving 

 through the forest that clothed the side of the 

 mountain above the meadow, and presently I 

 made out a small black bear cantering down 

 the trail I had crossed in the morning. When 

 he reached my crossing, or its immediate 

 neighborhood — a bush prevented me from 

 seeing clearly — there was a few seconds* 

 pause, and then he came scudding like a 

 frightened cat away from the bait, and down 

 the meadow toward the cover near which I 

 was lying hidden. 



So far the game had worked out according 

 to calculations, and, with an inward smile of 

 satisfaction, I sat up to take a smooth running 

 shot about ninety yards away. Too sure ! 

 Just as my finger squeezed the trigger, he 

 stopped dead short — perhaps having seen me 

 rise — and after an ineffective attempt to check 

 my rifle, my bullet ploughed well in front and 

 clear of him. He was in the cover and out of 

 sight before I could shoot again, and Proctor 

 and Rogers, watching together in another val- 

 ley, wondered, after the distant solitary report, 



244 



