to him
by his nose. Nearer and nearer he came, setting each paw delicately down
on the fir needles, so that not a whisper of sound gave warning of his
approach. As for _seeing_ him, one would have needed sharp eyes for
that, as the black robe with the frosted surface made itself part of the
darkness of the trees.

And yet for all Baltook's cunning, and delicately treading, Lone Chief
knew that something was stealthily drawing near. In spite of that, he
made no movement. Was not his hunting knife at his belt; and his bow and
arrows within reach of his arm? And was he not prepared for whatever
might happen? So he simply obeyed the law of the forest: Lie still!

When the silver-powdered robe was within a dozen feet of him, Lone Chief
slowly turned his head. The movement was so quiet that Baltook was not
startled. Only with eyes, ears and nose, he drank in everything that was
to be known of Lone Chief by that method. And Lone Chief looked straight
into the shining eyes of the fox. And though he asked no questions, and
got no answers in the ordinary sense, he learned something that told him
what he most wanted to know. And when at last Baltook, having gratified
his curiosity, turned on his tracks and disappeared softly through the
trees, Lone Chief noted the way he went, and followed in the same
direction.

He had not gone very far before he came upon a big black body sitting in
an open place, rocking itself gently to and fro. Lone Chief waited a
little, and then came up-wind very slowly. And because he came up-wind,
Goshmeelee did not smell his coming, but went on rocking peacefully, as
if that was the only common-sense way of being happy in the world. In
these early Fall days, Goshmeelee often amused herself in this way. The
rocking helped her to feel the comfort of her large body all the
better--to get closer to herself, as it were, and feel good and pleasant
down to her very toes. Lone Chief watched her for some time, without
moving, and then came slowly forward till he stood within six feet of
the old bear's nose.

Goshmeelee stopped rocking, and fixed her little black eyes upon him in
amazement. She had grown used to Dusty Star, whose comings and goings
did not upset her in the least; but to be suddenly confronted by the
same sort of animal in a larger size was distinctly disturbing when one
wasn't expecting it.

Lone Chief and Goshmeelee went on looking at each other for some time,
and never said a word. But Lo