“He is an old hunter, but not too old to make a mistake now and then. Sometimes too wild animals leave their habitats and wander far afield.” This high sounding sentence was framed purposely for the mystification of Jethro, who repeated wonderingly: “What am a _habitat_? Do you mean a rousing big grizzly?” “The habitat of an animal is the region where he makes his home: sometimes a wild beast takes it into his head to stray a good many miles from where he has been brought up and educated. There would be nothing wonderful in our meeting a grizzly bear this minute.” “Gorrynation! You doan’ say so!” exclaimed Jethro glancing on each side and behind them. “Won’t you be glad to bag one of the monsters?” “O yas, I ’spose so, but Mr. Shagbark spoke about another kind ob bear dat he said was almost as bad as de grizzly.” “What is its name?” “He called it a _nutmeg_ or _clove_ bear――I disremember which.” Alden broke into laughter. “You mean a _cinnamon_ bear; yes I have heard they are ugly customers to drive into a corner.” “’Spose dey dribe _you_ into a corner, eh?” “That would be worse, but we have a gun apiece and know how to use it.” “Dat am so, but Mr. Shagbark said as how it sometimes took a dozen shots to bring down one ob dem grizzlies.” “That must be because the aim was poor. One bullet sent right will drop an elephant.” “Am we likely to see any elufunts?” asked the amazed Jethro. “Hardly, unless he is an estray from some menagerie, and there isn’t any temptation for menageries to visit unsettled countries,” said the amused Alden. At the time of this conversation the young men were riding through a pass or cañon, which had a varying width of two or three hundred yards to two or more times that space. During the spring thaw, or when there was a cloudburst, it must have been swept by a tumultuous torrent which carried everything before it. Enormous boulders, scattered here and there, had been rolled from considerable distances, while others had been carried still farther down the ravine. The trail followed the right of the gorge and was broad enough to allow any emigrant train to move freely without stringing out to a dangerous degree. The slope was steadily upward for a fourth of a mile, when it reached a nearly level plateau, and wound in and out among rocks, stunted pines, gnarled cedars, and ravines, interspersed with valleys and comparatively smooth stretches, with now and then a mountain torrent across which the travelers made their way with difficulty. Alden and Jethro still rode with their ponies side by side, for the space was abundant. The incline compelled them to walk their animals, although such would have been their pace had the ground been level. There was no call to hasten their horses, while it would have involved considerable risk.