A part of the night Langdon slept with one of his hands resting on the cub's soft, warm body.
According to Bruce it was now time to continue the hunt for Thor, but a change for the worse in Langdon's knee broke in upon their plans.

It was impossible for Langdon to walk more than a quarter of a mile at a time, and the position he was compelled to take in the saddle caused him so much pain that to prosecute the hunt even on horseback was out of the question.
"A few more days won't hurt any," consoled Bruce.

"If we give the old fellow a longer rest he may get a bit careless." The three days that followed were not without profit and pleasure for Langdon.

Muskwa was teaching him more than he had ever known about bears, and especially bear cubs, and he made notes voluminously.
The dogs were now confined to a clump of trees fully three hundred yards from the camp, and gradually the cub was given his freedom.

He made no effort to run away, and he soon discovered that Bruce and Metoosin were also his friends.