So that was tried. One of the cabins in the open part of the woods was picked out as the scene in the picture.
The bears were put inside, and then Mr. Weldon got ready to go through his part. In his pocket he had some slices of bread covered with molasses, which the lumber camp cook had given him. The bread was wrapped in waxed paper so it would not make the actor’s pocket sticky.
The idea in this part of the film story was that Mr. Weldon was to enter the cabin, thinking it held a man whom he wanted to catch. So he approached the place on tiptoe. But no sooner had he entered, than the bears, who had been anxious to come out, rushed at him. They smelled the bread and molasses in Mr. Weldon’s pocket. There was no need to hold it out to them.
“Now run!” cried Mr. Birch, while the cameras clicked.
There was no need to tell Mr. Weldon to do this. He took one look at the bears, hungry for bread and molasses, and away he rushed. After him lumbered the cubs—not angry, just keen to get the sweets.
“That’s good! Fine! Couldn’t be better!” cried Mr. Birch.
Finally the bears chased Mr. Weldon so closely that, tame as they were, he feared they might claw him in their eagerness. So he climbed a tree and dropped the bread and molasses down to the shaggy fellows.
This was all they wanted, and they stopped to lick up the molasses, thus ending the scene.
“That was great!” cried the director.
“Glad of it,” said Mr. Weldon, as he came down from the tree after the bears had been led away. “If it had been spoiled I wouldn’t have done it over again. It was too exciting.”