One day, being hotly pursued by Shawnees, he had been headed off on this cliff, and had let himself down on the ledge, intending to drop from it to the tops of the trees below.

Taking advantage of every little aid, he hung over by means of the shrub, and was in the act of leaping when he saw that the cliff shelved under the ledge, while within reach of his feet was the entrance to a cavern.

He found the cave to be small with an opening at the back into a split in the rock.

Evidently the place had been entered from the rear by bears, who used the hole for winter sleeping quarters.
By crawling on his hands and knees, Wetzel found the rear opening.
Thus he had established a hiding place where it was almost impossible to locate him.

He provisioned his retreat, which he always entered by the cliff and left by the rear.
An evidence of Wetzel's strange nature, and of his love for this wild home, manifested itself when he bound Joe to secrecy.