AMONG THE ANIMALS OF THE YOSEMITE 175 



my mind to them and practiced the stealthy ways 

 of hunters. Nevertheless, it was only a few weeks 

 after I had received this information that I met 

 the one mentioned above, and obtained instruc- 

 tion at first-hand. 



I was encamped in the woods about a mile 

 back of the rim of Yosemite, beside a stream that 

 falls into the valley by the way of Indian Canon. 

 Nearly every day for weeks I went to the top of the 

 North Dome to sketch ; for it commands a gen- 

 eral view of the valley, and I was anxious to draw 

 every tree and rock and waterfall. Carlo, a St. 

 Bernard dog, was my companion, — a fine, intel- 

 ligent fellow that belonged to a hunter who was 

 compelled to remain all summer on the hot plains, 

 and who loaned him to me for the season for the 

 sake of having him in the mountains, where he 

 would be so much better off. Carlo knew bears 

 through long experience, and he it was who led 

 me to my first interview, though he seemed as 

 much surprised as the bear at my unhunter-like 

 behavior. One morning in June, just as the sun- 

 beams began to stream through the trees, I set 

 out for a day's sketching on the dome ; and be- 

 fore we had gone half a mile from camp Carlo 

 snuffed the air and looked cautiously ahead, low- 

 ered his bushy tail, drooped his ears, and began 

 to step softly like a cat, turning every few yards 

 and looking me in the face with a telling expres- 

 sion, saying plainly enough, " There is a bear a 



