178 ON THE FRONTIER. 



we might want every morsel of deer-meat we had to bait 

 ourselves with. I therefore smoked myself and my gloves 

 thoroughly in pitch-pine smoke to kill the human smell, 

 swept the dead leaves away where each trap was to be 

 placed, set it there, fastening it by passing its chain round 

 the bole of the nearest tree or bush with a clove hitch, 

 covered all carefully with leaves again, and, retreating back- 

 wards as I left, brushed snow over all with a long cedar- 

 bough, and trusted to fortune for the result. 



In almost the first trap I came to on " running " them 

 the next morning, there was a big dog-wolf. Perceiving 

 me approaching, he commenced lunging and pulling on 

 the chain, making frantic efforts to get away; but finding 

 he could not get loose, when I got quite near he made a 

 most savage and determined rush at me, and when brought 

 up by the chain snapped his teeth together with a sharp 

 clack, and growled and snarled like a savage watch-dog, 

 his green eyes glaring fiercely at me, the long hair round 

 his neck and on his shoulders standing out, turned all the 

 wrong way. 



Laying down my rifle, taking my tomahawk in my 

 hand, and getting as near as possible to the wolf to be 

 out of his reach, with a quick and sudden blow I buried 

 its sharp edge in his forehead, killing him instantly. I was 

 well pleased with my prize, and leaving it, continued my 

 round. 



None of the remaining traps had been disturbed ex- 

 cepting one, and it was gone. It had evidently caught 

 a fine large wolf, who had smashed, torn, and bit everything 

 within his reach, and ended by gnawing in two the stump 



