188 THE LOG OF A TIMBER CRUISER 



kiss averred that two bears had just lately pulled 

 loose from his big Number 4 trap by the rather shock- 

 ing expedient of twisting the prisoned foot off. 

 Some of us were inclined to doubt the truth of this 

 tale, but before we moved camp we had ocular proof 

 of its verity. 



A trapper, if he can, visits his traps each morn- 

 ing. The chances a captured "varmint" has of es- 

 caping are thereby greatly lessened. But Hotch- 

 kiss worked alone and found it impossible to make 

 the round every day. So it happened that when he 

 started on a tour of inspection the following Sun- 

 day it was for the first time in two or three 

 days. 



He returned about two in the afternoon very much 

 worked up, and exhibited a gruesome trophy. It 

 was a gigantic bear's foot, torn off at the ankle. 



"Looky there," he shouted, "whad-die tell you 

 all. I didn't git around to my Number 4 yestiddy nor 

 day before, an' I done missed th' biggest grizzly 

 you ever see. Here's what he left in the trap for 

 me, as a soovenoor!" 



"Couldn't you track him?" we asked, after in- 

 specting the "souvenir" with considerable disrelish. 



"Naw," replied Hank, "I tried to, but 'twarn't 

 no use. I see where he dug ground up all around 

 the trap twissin' his foot off, an' where he slid down 

 the side of the canyon after gitten' away. But 

 where he done run off down th' creek I couldn't find 

 no sign nowhar. He'll likely hole up some'rs till 



