THE WOLF HUNTERS 



any loss by waiting a few days, I've been thinking 

 that we'd better let the pelts go for a while and 

 put in all our time at haymaking and digging till 

 we get everything made snug for cold weather." 



Tom's suggestion seemed so reasonable that we 

 agreed with him and decided to let the pelts alone 

 for a while. 



Tom got his scythe out of the wagon and 

 "hung" it and then went down to the timber to 

 make a couple of wooden hay-forks. When he 

 had returned from the timber with his wooden 

 forks he remarked as he sat down and began 

 whittling the prongs to points and otherwise 

 smoothing them up with his knife: 



"While I was at it I cut a lot of poles for a hay 

 frame to put on top of the wagon-box to haul 

 hay on; and I also cut some poles to lay on the 

 ground under our freight when we unload the 

 wagon." 



Later in the day we unloaded the wagon, piling 

 the contents on the poles inside the sideboards, 

 which we had taken off together, leaving the 

 bows on them. After the goods were thus piled 

 up the wagon-sheet was stretched over the bows 

 and securely tied down'* and the load was thus 

 protected from the weather. 



Tired and very hungry after our hard day's 

 work, we devoured our supper and, after agreeing 

 to devote the next day to digging and haymaking, 

 were soon sound asleep. 



134 



