THE WOLF HUNTERS 



now,'* replied Jack. "I ain't catching as many- 

 beavers lately as when I first started in. I think 

 I'm getting the herd pretty well thinned out. 

 But I've done pretty well at trapping, for I've 

 took some thirty odd nice beaver skins besides a 

 few muskrats." 



A few hours later the two men returned to camp 

 after having caught some fish and baited and set 

 the traps for otter, and next morning, taking Jack 

 with him, Tom found, on visiting his traps and fish- 

 ing them up out of the water, a fine otter fastened 

 by a leg in each trap and drowned. Later Tom 

 took a number of otter skins, but they were by 

 no means as numerous as the beaver. 



Black Prince, after he became accustomed to 

 it, was a much better buffalo horse than either 

 of the mustangs, though, when two mounted 

 hunters went out, the buckskin bronco, Vinegar, 

 did pretty well for that work. The gray mare, 

 Polly, could not be brought near enough to a 

 buffalo to be used as a hunter. Now and then 

 Jack and I went afoot down to the slough to kill 

 some ducks or geese. Our shepherd dog Found 

 was a good retriever, and when we went gunning 

 for water-fowl we generally took him along to 

 bring ashore any birds killed on the water. 



"I want to remind you men," said Tom one 

 day, "that this fine weather we've been having 

 can't, in the nature of things, last much longer. 

 We're liable to have a cold rain, turning to a sleet 



i68 



