76 Hunting the Grizzly 



after supper until bedtime, when the guide in- 

 formed him that we were sorry we could not 

 give him a bed or bed-clothing. The trapper 

 answered cheerfully, " This is good enough for 

 me — I will keep the fire up to keep warm " ; 

 and our last vision of him for the night showed 

 him curled up before the blaze. In the morn- 

 ing he was up bright and early, had made the 

 fire, and when we discovered him was engaged 

 in thawing the ice from the pails, having al- 

 ready brought fresh water for breakfast. 

 While the guide was packing the " duffle " 

 across the big portage on the second day, I ac- 

 companied the trapper to his traps. First he 

 called my attention to a trap set for marten. 

 The method adopted by him was to cut a hole 

 in a hollow, standing tree, insert the end of a 

 pole three inches in diameter and fifteen feet 

 long into the hole, the pole being kept upright 

 by two small sticks arranged in the form of a 

 figure 4 ; and one of these small sticks had the 

 bait fastened on the farther end. When the 

 marten undertook to take the bait, the bait- 

 stick released the upright, and down came the 

 pole on the fur. The next trap was a beaver 



