their leader was satisfied with the preparation of the big hide.

"I wish we had more salt," said he; "but as it happens Moise has put
in a little tin of pepper, and pepper is very good to use around the
ears and nose of a fresh bear-hide. The main thing is to flesh the
hide carefully, and to skin out all the thick parts around the ears
and nose very carefully indeed. Then you dry the hide--not in the
bright sunlight, but in the shade--and never let it get near a fire.
Some hides get grease-burned from bad fleshing and bad drying. I think
this one'll do all right, though, for we made a pretty good job at
scraping it down."

"Plenty all right now," said Leo. "Go hunt."

"Which way next, Leo?" inquired John.

Leo pointed up the valley. "Plenty slide farther up. S'pose we stay
here three, four days, get plenty grizzlum. Best tam late in day.
Maybe-so get 'um now, maybe-so not. Don't know."

"Yes," said John; "it's too bad we have to start back to camp in just
the best part of the day. But we've agreed to do that, so all we can
do is to do our best. I suppose bears do sometimes come out before
evening?"

"Once in a while," said Uncle Dick, "a bear will come out on the slide
just to look around, as I've told you. There are no absolute rules
about it. They don't like the sun any too well, but sometimes there is
a heap of snow on a slide, usually near the foot of it, and I've seen
two or three bears at once come out and lie down on the snow to get
cool. Then sometimes they like to go out where they can get a bare
rock to scratch themselves against. Besides that, I don't suppose all
the bears get hungry at just the same time, and come out on the slide
when they hear a dinner-bell ring. Take it all in all, grizzly hunting
is about as hard to classify as anything you'll find. It's one thing
that would make a man believe in luck, good or bad. Anyhow, we'll go
and try our luck."

On their way up the valley they had to wade their little stream once
more, but at this hour of the day it was not very wide or deep,
although it certainly was very cold.

"Me know one slide," said Leo, after a time, "very old slide, not
steep. Plenty gopher on that slide. Dig in dirt. Grizzlum he like eat
gopher. Sometam he come there and dig gopher most all day. Maybe-so
ketch 'um grizzlum there."

"That's mighty well reasoned, Leo," said Uncle Dick, approvingly. "You
see, boys, why Leo is such a successful grizzly-hunter--he is a good
obser