84 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



in an upright position, as though it were growing naturally. 

 The stick serves not only to mark the trap, but in an open 

 space to furnish the same attraction for a fox as a tree does for 

 a dog; besides, when the hunter is going his roimds, at the sight 

 of the branch he wiU remember where and how his trap is set, 

 and can read all the signs without going too near. The object 

 of laying the sheet of birch bark over the trap is that when any 

 part of the bark is touched the trap may go off; besides, it 

 forms a hollow space beneath, and thus allows the animal's 

 foot to sink deeper into the trap, to be caught farther up, and 

 to be held more securely. 



The foregoing is the usual way of setting a fox trap, yet the 

 Wood Crees and the Swampy Crees set their fox traps on 

 mounds of snow about the size of muskrat houses. For that 

 purpose they bank the snow into a mound about eighteen inches 

 high, bury the drag-pole at the bottom, set the trap exactly in 

 the crest of the mound, and, covering up all traces of trap and 

 chain with powdered snow, sprinkle food bait and mixed bait 

 around the bottom of the mound. The approaching fox, 

 catching scent of the mixed bait, follows it up and then eats 

 some of the food bait, which presently gives him the desire to 

 go and sit upon the mound — which is the habit of foxes in such 

 a condition — and thus he is caught. 



A curious thing once happened to a Dog-rib Indian at Great 

 Slave Lake. One day he found a wolf caught in one of his traps 

 and foohshly allowed his hunting-dog to rush at it. The wolf 

 leaped about so furiously that it broke the trap chain, and ran 

 out upon the lake, too far for the hunter's gun. In pursuit of 

 the wolf, the dog drew too near and was seized and overpowered 

 by the wolf. In order to save his dog the hunter rushed out 

 upon the lake; and when within fair range, dropped upon one 

 knee and fired. Unluckily, the ball struck the trap, smashed it, 

 and set the wolf free; and all the hunter got for his pains was 

 a dead dog and a broken trap — while the wolf went scot free. 



