Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-05

4
lie had come perhaps seven or eight miles
from the summit OF the divide when he
found Muskwa, From this point tho slope
began TO assume a different aspect, They
were cut up by dark, narrow sullles and
broken by enormous masses Of rocks, Jag
ged cliffs. and steep slides OF shale The
creek became noisier and more difficult TO
follow.
Thor was now entering one OF his strong
holds: region which contained thou
sand hidng-places. IL he had wanted TO
hide: wild uptorn country where II was
not dlfilcult for him TO kill big game, and
where he was certain that the man-smell
| would not follow him.
For half an hour after leaving the mass
| OF rocks where he had encountered Muskwa,
| Thor numbered on as II utterly oblivious OF
| the fact that the cub was following. But
he could hear him and smell him.
Muskwa was having hard time OF II.
| His fat little body and his fat little legs
| were unaccustomed TO this sort Of journey
| ing, but he was game youngster, and
| only twice did he whimper in that half
| hour--once he toppled off a rock into the
| edge OF the creek, and again when he came
| down too hard on the porcupine quill in his
| foot
At last Thor abandoned the creek and
turned up a deep ravine, which he followed
| until he came TO a dip, or plateau-like plain,
| halfway up a broad slope Here he found
rock on the sunny side OF grassy Knoll
| and stopped. IL may be that little Musk
was babyish friendship. the caress OF his
soft little red tongue at just the psychic
| logical moment, and his perseverance In
| following Thor had all combined TO touch
responsive chord In the others big brute
| heart, for after nosng about restlessly for
| few moments Thor stretched himself out
| beside the rock. Not until then did the
| utterly exhausted little tan-faced cub lie
| down, but when he did lie down he was so
| dead tired that he was sound asleep in
| three minutes
Twice again during the early part OF the
| afternoon the sapoos oowln worked on
| Thor, and he began to feel hungry. II
| was not the sort Of hunger to be appeased
! by ants and grubs, even gophers and
whistlers. II may be, too, that he guessed
| how nearly starved little Muskwa was. The
cub had not once opened his eyes, and he
| stu lay In his warm pool of sunshine when
| Thor made up his mind to go on.
II was about 3 o'clock, a particularly
| quiet and drowsy part of a late June or
early July day in northern mountain
valley. The whIstlers had piped until they
| were tired and lay squat out in the sun
shine on their rocks the eagles scared so
| high above the peaks that they were mere
| dots the hawks, with meat-hlled crops
| had disappeared into the timber: goat and
| sheep were lying down far up toward the
| skyline. and II there were any grazing ami
mails near they were we'll fed and mapping
The mountain hunter knew that this was
| the hour when he should scan the green
| slopes and the open places between the
clumps Of timber for bears, and especially
I for fiesh-eating bears.
II was Thors chief prospecting hour. In
| stinct told him that when all other crea-
! lures were we'll fed and mapping he could
| move more openly and with less fear Of de-
| lection. He could find his game and watch
| It, Occasionally he would kill a goat or
| sheep or caribou in broad daylight. for
| over short distances he could run faster
| than either goat or a sheep. and as fast
as a caribou. But chiefly he killed at sum
| set or In the darkness of early evening
Thor rose from beside the rock with a
| prodiglous whoof that reused Muskwa. The
| cub got up, blinked at Thor and then at
the sun and shook himself until he fell
down.
Thor eyed the black and tan mite a bit
| sourly, After the sapoos oowin he was
craving red, juicy flesh, just as a very
| hungry man yearns for thick porterhouse
instead of lady fingers or mayonnase salad
| flesh and plenty Of 1t and how he could
hunt down and kill caribou with that
| half-starved but very much-interested cub
| at his heels puzzled him.
Muskwa himself seemed TO understand
and answer the question. He ran a dozen
| yards ahead of Thor then stopped and
looked back impudently. his little ears
perked forward, and with the look in his
face Of small boy proving TO his father
that he is perfectly qualified to go on his
first rabbit hunt.
with another whoof Thor started along
the slope in squirt that brought him up
to MuslSwa Immediately and with a sudden
| sweep Of his right paw he sent the cub
rolling a dozen feet behind him, a man
ner Of speech that said plainly enough,
That's where you belong II you're going
| hunting with me! !"
Then Thor numbered slowly on. eyes and
ears and nostrls keyed for the hunt He
| descended until he was not more than a
hundred yards above the creek and he no
| longer sought out the easiest trail, but the
rough and broken places He Travelled
| slowly and In zigzag fashion, stealing
| cautiously around great masses OF boulders
| shifting up each coulee that he came to and
| investigating the timber clumps and wind
| falls
| At one time he would be 10 high up that
| he was close TO the bare shale and again
| so low down that he walked in the sand
| and gravel OF the creek. He caught many
\ scents in the wind but none that held or
deeply interested him. Once up near the
| shale, he smelled goat; but he never went
| above the shale for meat.
Twice he smelled sheep, and late in the
| afternoon he saw big ram looking down
on him from a preciptous crag a hundred
| feet above.
Lower down his nose touched the trails
| of porcupines, and often his head hung
over the footprints OF caribou as he sniffed
| the air ahead.
There were other bears In the valley,
| too. Mostly these had Travelled along the
| creek bottom, showing they were blacks or
| cinnamons. once Thor struck the scent Of
another grizzly, and he rumbled ill-humor-
| edly.
Not once In the two hours after they
| left the sun.rock did Thor pay any appar-
| ent attention to Muskwa, who was growing
| hungrier and weaker as the day length
| ened. No boy that ever lived was gamer
| than the little tan-faoed cub. In the rough
! places he stumbled and fell frequently;
| up places that Thor could make in a single
step he had TO fight desperately to make
| his way; three times Thor waded through
| the creek, and Muskwa half drowned HIM
| self in following; he was battered and
| bruised and wet, and his foot hurt him
| but he followed. Sometimes he was close
| 10 Thor. and at others he had to run 10
| catch up, The sun was setting when Thor
at last found game, and Muskwa was al
most dead.
| He did not know why Thor flattened
his huge bulk suddenly alongside a rock at
the edge OF rough meadow, from which
they could look down into small hollow,
He wanted TO whimper, but he was afraid.
And II he had ever wanted his mother