“I have been thinking,” said Nick, when they paused again, “that we will be more likely to learn something of the bear if we separate.”

“For how long?” Herbert asked.

“Until night, or until we find him.”

“But how can we find each other at night?”

“That can be fixed easily enough; if necessary, we can signal to each other, or we can pick out some landmark that can be seen a long ways off and gradually approach that as the sun goes down.”

There was nothing brilliant in this proposition, but after some discussion it was agreed to by the others, and they began looking around for something which might serve them as a guide.

Directly to the north, the woods rose in a series of hills of no great elevation, but among them were numerous large rocks of limestone formation, some of them of such a light color that they could be seen a long distance.

“Right yonder,” said Nick, pointing toward the largest, “is one which we cannot mistake; let’s agree to meet there at nightfall and go into camp.  If either one of us loses his reckoning he will fire his gun and the others will answer him, so there need be no danger at all.”

“I don’t see as there would be any danger if we failed to find each other before morning,” said Sam; “we are not in a wild country where Indians will hunt for us.”

“There ain’t any danger,” said Herbert, “only it will be a great deal more pleasant to spend the night together; you will feel safer by knowing that I am with you with my patent breech-loader.”

“Yes,” said Nick, “for by keeping close to you there won’t be half as much likelihood of being hit when you fire at something else.”

“I haven’t tried yet,” said Herbert; “my gun is a long-distance shooter:  there’s where I get my work in.  Show me a mark a good long distance off and you’ll open your eyes.”

“Well, I declare, if that doesn’t beat all!”

It was Sam Harper who uttered this exclamation.  He had been gazing steadily at a broad, flat rock about a quarter of a mile distant to the northwest of them, and his words announced that he had made some important discovery.

The peculiar tone in which he spoke caused the others to turn toward him and ask the cause.

“Look at that yellowish white rock,” he answered, pointing toward it, “and tell me whether that isn’t a little ahead of anything yet.”

One brief searching glance showed that the young man had sufficient cause for his excitement.

[Illustration:  “Now I’ll show you what my Creedmoor will do,” said Herbert Watrous.]

Standing on the top of the rock, so that his figure was thrown in clear relief against the tinted sky behind him, was the very buck they had been vainly chasing.  He seemed to be looking back at the young hunters as though he disdained their prowess and defied them to renew their attempt to bring him down.