134 



FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



tend to stay long, judging from their outfit, b'ut Bill was mistaken. 

 Bill said that he would proceed to clean house at any rate. 



We had taken in new straw for the bunk, so we threw the 

 old boughs and the other litter outside and burned it and went in 

 for a general house cleaning. Just before dark, two men came 

 in great haste. One rushed into the shack and demanded to know 

 ? what in h does this mean. Bill said, "nothing, just moving in 

 is all." 



Then the spokesman said, "Do you fellows pretend to own 

 this camp?" Bill replied that we did, as we did some dog-on hard 

 work building it at least. The one man continued to go on with 

 a great deal of telling what he would do and what he would not, 

 until we had supper .ready, when we asked the men to eat with 

 us. The man that had done very little talking readily consented 

 but the other man was still inclined to bully matters, but he finally 

 took a stool and sat up and ate his supper. After supper we 

 learned that they were from near Wellsville, N. Y. We made 

 arrangements for the men to sleep on the floor, or rather on the 

 ground at the side of the bunk. 



The next morning after breakfast was over, the man who 

 proposed to run things to his own liking said that' he did not see 

 any other way but what we would all have to get along together 

 the best way we could in the shanty. This was more than Bill 

 could stand so he opened on the man and said, "See here, stranger, 

 I am dog-on if a aint willing to do almost anything to be neigh- 

 borly, but I am dog-on if it don't take a large house for two 

 families to live in, and this shack is altogether too small." 



It now began to look as though we were not going to be 

 good neighbors very long, when the man that had but very little 

 to say, up to this time, said, "See here, Hank, you know that this 

 is not our shanty. I told ypu that some one would be here and 

 want it," and he took his blankets, gun and sack of crackers and 

 started off down the run. After the other man had done some 

 more loud talking, he gathered up the rest of their plunder and 

 started on after his partner with the remark that he would see 

 us again. Bill replied that he would be dog-on pleased to have 

 him come when we were at home. 



