John and Jesse, themselves pretty tired from their long walk, summoned up energy enough to go down to the beach and peer into the dugout. They saw no sign of any game. They did not, however, ask any questions, for they were learning the dignity of Indian hunters. Alex looked at Moise, but asked him no question. He noticed that Moise was whistling, and apparently not very unhappy, as after a time he went about making his evening fire.
"So you didn't get any bear, Mr. Rob?" said Alex at last.
"No, not quite," said Rob, "but I ought to have got one--I had a pretty fair shot, although it was rather dark where the bear was standing."
Alex spoke a few words to Moise in the Cree language.
"Never mind," said he to Rob at length. "We'll get him to-morrow very easily."
"So Moise said to me; but I don't see how he knows. The bear started off as though he weren't hit at all. He came down to the edge of the wood at a high bank and looked right at us when we were pulling the boat up the stream. You know, the canoe is rather teetery, but I shot as well as I could, and thought I hit him. He turned around, and I shot at him again. But he didn't stop. Moise thought we had better come on in because it was so late."
"Sure," said Moise, "I'll tol' those boy he'll shoot those bear two tam, once in the front an' once in the back. With those rifle, he'll not go far. To-morrow we'll catch heem easy."
"He was a big bear, too," said Rob, "although not as big as our grizzly--just a black bear, that's all. I don't like to cripple any animal and then lose it."
"I don't think we'll lose this one," said Alex, reassuringly.
The judgment of the old hunters proved to be correct, for on the next day, when all hands dropped down the river to the point where Rob had shot at the bear, it was not five minutes before they found the trail where a considerable amount of blood showed that the bear had been badly wounded. At once they began to follow this trail back into the high country away from the river.
Alex did not ask any questions, and there was little talk between him and Moise. Moise, however, took the lead on the trail. Alex did not even carry his rifle, but loitered along, picking berries and enjoying himself, after his own fashion.