208 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



got away with a small trap, and two weeks later 

 his fresh trail was seen in the snow and the trap was 

 still dragging behind him. Another carried off 

 a larger trap a few days later, and then the Path- 

 finder concluded it was time to do something to pre- 

 vent the wolverines from " setting a line of traps," 

 and he took a pair of blankets and two days' provis- 

 ions and started on the trail. He travelled fifty or 

 sixty miles, but failed to catch the robber. 



Two days were spent at the old cabin, and Dyche 

 was well pleased with the energy displayed by his 

 new companions. McLaughlin went four or five 

 miles up the river hunting for a new camping-place, 

 and seeing a fine mule buck standing in a suitable 

 place he killed it, "just to mark the spot." It was 

 snowing heavily next morning when he and Dyche 

 started out to see what was in the country. The 

 trappers had told the naturalist of a big buck which 

 they had seen here several times, but the animal 

 was so wary that they had never been able to get 

 within gunshot of it. Their description made him a 

 veritable giant. The dense woods had great fasci- 

 nation for the naturalist, for here he felt that he might 

 find new animals at almost any moment. In three 

 hours he reached the top of the mountain and there 

 found numerous tracks of bears, wolverines, fishers, 

 and deer. Many deer were to be seen standing about 

 in the woods, and now and then they would move 

 away with long, graceful strides for a few hundred 

 yards, and then stand and gaze at the intruder with 

 a " wonder what you are? " stare. 



As the hunter approached the edge of the woods he 



