“Dead certain—–­but I don’t know how long he will stay there.  Oh, if I had only had my gun with me!” groaned Snap.  “I could have brought him down as easy as pie!”

“Aren’t you going to take your camera?” asked Giant as he drew in his line and took both his photo outfit and his firearm.

“Yes, I forgot,” said the doctor’s son, and picked up his camera again.  “Don’t shoot till we get a snapshot,” he said to Snap, who, gun in hand, was already off.

“All right; but we don’t want to lose the bear,” answered the other young hunter.

“Of course not!”

With Snap in the lead, the three boys sneaked swiftly but silently down the mountain brook until they came to the spot from which Snap had discovered the bear.  Here they halted, and the others looked enquiringly at their leader.

“I saw him right over yonder,” whispered Snap.  “Go slow, now, or you’ll scare him.”

With bated breath the three young hunters advanced down the tiny stream.  They gained the shelter of some dense brushwood and gazed around eagerly.  Not a sign of a bear was to be seen anywhere.

“Maybe you were dreaming, Snap,” murmured Giant.

“No, I wasn’t—–­I saw him just as plain as day.”

“Then he must have seen you running back to the pool, and he must have took out, too.”

“Perhaps; but I was very careful to keep out of sight.”

They advanced a little farther, and now saw ahead of them a slight hollow, where there was another waterfall, sheltered on either side by sharp rocks.

“There he is!” whispered the doctor’s son excitedly, and pointed down to the pool at the foot of the falls.  The black bear was there, getting a drink.

“We can’t take a picture from here,” said Giant disappointedly.  “What shall we do—–­fire?”

“Oh, we ought to have a picture of him,” pleaded Shep.  “It would be just the thing for our collection.”

“Let me suggest something,” said Snap.  “I haven’t any camera, so I’ll stay here.  You two can make a half circle and come up below and kind of head the bear off.  If he starts to run before you get ready I’ll fire at him.”

So it was agreed, and Shep and Giant hurried off without delay, making a wide detour through the woods and over the rocks.  They could not help making a little noise, but this was, as they rightfully reasoned, drowned out by the falling of the waters.

In the meantime Snap kept careful watch of the bear.  The animal took his time drinking, raising his head several times to look around him.  But he did not turn his gaze upward, and consequently did not discover the young hunter, who stood with weapon aimed, ready to fire at a moment’s warning.

Fully five minutes passed, and then the bear stretched himself and commenced to sniff the air.  Then, of a sudden, he arose on his hind legs to get a better look at his surroundings.