268 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



the sneakin' little grey varmint of the East 

 here, what's been cleaned out of these parts 

 fifty years ago. If Brace is right an' I 

 reckon he be then it must sure be one of 

 them big timber wolves we read about, what 

 the Lord's took it into His head to plank down 

 here in our safe old woods to make us set up 

 an' take notice. You better watch out, 

 Brace. If ye don't git the brute first lick, 

 he'll git you ! " 



" /'// watch out ! " drawled Timmins con- 

 fidently ; and selecting a strong steel trap-chain 

 from a box beside the counter, he sauntered 

 off to put his plans in execution. 



These plans were simple enough. He knew 

 that he had a wide-ranging adversary to deal 

 with. But he himself was a wide ranger, 

 and acquainted with every cleft and crevice 

 of Lost Mountain. He would find the great 

 wolf's lair, and set his traps accordingly 

 one in the runway, to be avoided if the wolf 

 was as clever as he ought to be, and a couple 

 of others a little aside, to really do the work. 

 Of course, he would carry his rifle, in case of 

 need ; but he wanted to take his enemy alive. 



For several arduous but exciting days 

 Timmins searched in vain alike the dark cedar 

 swamps and the high, broken spurs of the 

 mountain. Then, one windless afternoon, 



