the bottom of the slope.

"It's perfectly safe," said Uncle Dick, "especially since the others
have stamped in footholds. You just follow me and step in my tracks.
Not that way, Jesse--don't lean in toward the slope, for that is not
the way to cross ice or snow on a side-hill. If you lean in, don't you
see, you make yourself most liable to slip? Walk just as straight up
as though you were on level ground--that's the safest position you can
take."

"Well," said Jesse, "I can understand how that theory works, but it's
awfully hard not to lean over when you feel as though your feet were
going to slip from under you."

They gained confidence as they advanced on the icy side-hill, and got
across without mishap. Soon they came up with the three packers, who
were resting and waiting for them.

"Make camp soon now," said Leo. "Good place. Plenty slide not far."

Indeed, within half a mile the men threw off their packs at a grunted
word or so from Leo, and at once began to make their simple
preparations for a camp. It was now almost noon, and all the party
were well tired, so that a kettle of tea seemed welcome.

"Which way do we hunt from here, Leo?" inquired Uncle Dick, as they
sat on a rock at the comfortable little bivouac they had constructed.

"Walk one mile," answered Leo, "go around edge this mountain here.
Come little creek there, three, four good slides. We kill 'um bear
last spring. Camp here, so not get too close."

After a time they were all ready for the hunt, but Leo seemed unhappy
about something.

"You s'pose them boy go along?" he inquired of the leader.

"They surely do," was the answer. "That's what we came here for."

"Even those small leetle boy?"

"Even those small leetle boy, yes, Leo. You don't need to be
uneasy--you and I can take care of these boys if they show they can't
take care of themselves. How about that, Moise?"

"I'll tol' Leo those boy she'll been all right," said Moise. "I'll
been out with those boy when she'll ain't one year so old as he is
now, and she's good honter then, heem. Those boy she'll not get
scare'. Better for those bear he'll get scare' and ron off!"

Accordingly, there were five rifles in the party which at length
started up the mountain after Moise and George had gone back down the
trail to the main camp on the river. They climbed upward in country
now grown very steep, and at last turned into a high, deep gorge out
of which came a brawling stream of milky-co