00-KOO-HOO PLAYS THE GAME 145 



destroyed with poison, but nowadays it has gone out of use — 

 that is, among the fur-hunters of the forest. 



When a wolf is caught in a trap and he sees a hunter ap- 

 proaching, he will at first he down, close his eyes, and keep as 

 still as possible to escape notice; but should he find that the 

 hunter is still coming on, say to within twenty paces from him, 

 he will fly into a rage, show his fangs, bristle his hair, and get 

 ready for a spring. The hunter usually takes a green stick 

 about a yard long by two inches thick, and instead of striking 

 a great, swinging blow with both hands, he holds the stick in 

 one hand and strikes a short, quick, though powerful, blow, 

 hitting the brute on the snout close to the eyes. That stuns 

 him, and then the hunter, with either foot or knee, presses 

 over the heart until death ensues. But clubbing the wolf is 

 dangerous work, for the hunter may hit the trap and set the 

 captive free, or it may bite him. So the gun is frequently 

 used, but only to shoot the wolf in the head, as a wound any- 

 where else would injure the fur. 



Late in the afternoon, as we were approaching a wolf trap, 

 Oo-koo-hoo, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and 

 gazed ahead. A large wolf was lying in the snow, evidently 

 pretending to be dead. One of its forepaws was held by the 

 trap, and the hunter drew his axe and moved forward. As we 

 came near, the beast could stand the strain no longer, but rose 

 up with bristling hair, champing fangs, and savage growl. 

 When Oo-koo-hoo had almost reached the deeply marked cir- 

 cle in the snow where the wolf had been struggling to gain its 

 freedom, he paused and said: 



"My brother, I need your coat, so turn your eyes away 

 while I strike." A momentary calmness came over the beast, 

 but as the hunter raised his axe it suddenly crouched, and with 

 its eyes flashing with rage, sprang for Oo-koo-hoo's throat. Its 

 mighty leap, however, ended three feet short of the mark, for 

 the trap chain grew taut, jerked it down and threw it violently 



