CHAPTER VIII. 

 Fred and the Old Trapper. 



ES, Fred, you can go with me to attend my traps, come 

 down early as I wish to start at 5 o'clock." Fred was on 

 hand next morning at the appointed hour. We leave the 

 road here and go up this stream; this will take us to 

 several traps and also to camp. 



"Are these woods very large?" 



"Yes, Fred. It is about fourteen miles either way through 

 them." 



"Does any one live in them?" 



"No one only the lumberman. Well, Fred, here is the first 

 trap." 



"I don't see any trap." 



"No, but it is there, just in front of that little stone pen; 

 the bait is in the pen." 



"Why don't you take that bush away?" 



"Oh! that is part of the knack in trapping; see that is just 

 far enough from the pen to let the animal pass through." 



"Oh! I see, and it will step in the trap in going through!" 



"That is it, exactly." 



"Won't the water take the brush away?" 



"Yes, if it gets too high, but you will see that I have put 

 some heavy stones on the limbs that are down in the water ; you 

 also see that I turn the water above the trap by throwing up a 

 few stones; this is done to keep the water so that it just covers 

 the traps. You see that bunch of leaves that are a little higher 

 than the rest of the leaves the pan of the trap is just under 

 those leaves." 



"Did that moss grow on the stone pen?" 



"No, I put it there to make the pen look old; you see a fox 

 can easily step on that bunch of dry leaves that are on the pan 



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