s on the next day they
would move their camp farther in that direction and so avoid fording
the icy torrent twice a day.

"First hunt this slide," said he. "Heap good. I ketch 'um bear here
every time."

For an hour or more it seemed as if Leo was not going to "ketch 'um
bear" this afternoon, and all the members of the party except himself
grew cold and uneasy, although he sat impassive, every so often
glancing up the steep slope above them. All at once they heard him
give a low grunt.

Following his gaze, they saw, high up on the slide, and nearly half a
mile away, a great, gray figure which, even without the glasses, they
knew to be a large grizzly bear. The boys felt the blood leap in their
veins as they stood looking up at this great creature, which
carelessly, as though it knew nothing of any intrusion, now strolled
about in full view above them. Sometimes it pawed idly as though
hunting grass roots or the like, and then again it would stand and
look vacantly down the mountainside.

"He'll see us, sure," whispered Rob.

"S'pose keep still, no see 'um," said Leo, still sitting looking at
the bear. "S'pose hear 'um noise in bush, heem not scare. S'pose him
smell us small little bit, heem run, sure. Wind this way. We go up
this side."

They now threw off all encumbering clothing, and each of the boys,
with loaded rifle, began the ascent of the mountain, parallel to the
slide, and under the thick cover of the forest. More than once Uncle
Dick had to tap Leo on the shoulder and make him wait for the others,
for an Indian has no mercy on a weak or inexperienced person on a
hunting-trail. Indeed, so little did he show the fabled Indian calm,
he was more excited than any of the others when they began to approach
a point from which they might expect to see their game. Uncle Dick
reached out his hand for Leo's rifle and motioned for him to go ahead
for a look. Leo advanced quietly to the edge of the slide and stood
for a time peering out from behind the screening bush. Presently he
came back.

"Beeg bear," said he, "grizzlum. Heem eat grass. Up there, two, three
hundred yard."

Uncle Dick turned to look at his young friends to see how they were
standing the excitement of this experience. Jesse was a little pale,
but his eyes were shining. Rob, as usual, was a little grave and
silent, and John, although somewhat out of breath, showed no
disposition to halt. Smiling to himself, Uncle Dick motioned Leo to
the rear;