"He cannot be far away," Sun Bird declared, hopefully. "Come, we will follow him."
They followed the trail down through the timber, and about half way down the ridge it brought them within sight of another open grassy park. Aware that those places were favorite feeding places for elk and deer, the expert young hunters realized that the grizzly might have gone there to feast upon the carcass of one of those animals.
"We must be careful," White Otter warned, softly.
They approached the spot with great caution, peering anxiously between the trees to discover the grizzly. As the wind favored them, they hoped to get within bow range without alarming their game. However, when they finally came in full view of the park the bear was nowhere in sight. They were keenly disappointed.
"Matohota has gone on," said Sun Bird.
"We will see," replied White Otter.
They stole to the edge of the timber and looked anxiously across the grassy meadow. The trail of the bear was plainly visible through the high grass. As they followed it with their eyes they suddenly discovered something lying in the far corner of the park. One glance told them that it was dead, but it was some time before they could make sure what it was. Then they looked at each other in astonishment. They had suddenly identified the object as a dead pony. The discovery made them cautious, and they sank noiselessly into the bushes to watch.
"It is mysterious," whispered Sun Bird. "How did that pony come here?"
"We will try to find out about it, but first we must watch," replied White Otter.
They watched a long time, searching the borders of the meadow with great care. It was difficult to learn much about the dead pony from where they were, but they saw that the carcass had been partly eaten, and they believed it had been there for some time.