42 FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



over to camp the next day. I thought I would put off going to 

 look after the traps in that locality until the boys came over and 

 should I have the luck to find a bear in one of the traps it would 

 come very acceptable to have the help to get the bear to camp for 

 it was some four or five miles to the farthest trap. 



The boys came as they said but the next morning after they 

 got there it was raining very hard and they did not want to go 

 out and did not want me to go until it slacked up. Well, the 

 next morning it was raining hard and the boys were in no better 

 mood to go out than the day before. It had been several days 

 since I had been to the traps, in that direction, and there were 

 some chestnuts in that locality where the bear traps were set. 

 The storm had knocked the chestnuts out and it was probable that 

 bfears would be in that locality. I told the boys I did not like 

 to let the traps go any longer without looking after them and 

 they could stay in camp and I would go to the traps. When I was 

 about ready to start, Hill said that he would go with me, notwith- 

 standing the rain, though Benson tried to persuade us not to go, 

 stating that no bear was fool enough to travel in such a rain and 

 that all we would get would be a good thorough soaking. 



I was determined to delay no longer looking at the traps and 

 started off when Hill said, "Well, I'm with you." So we took 

 the nearest cut possible to reach the traps. Hill was continually 

 wishing we would find a bear in one of the traps and that he 

 could shoot it so that he could joke with Benson. 



Our route took us along the top of a ridge for about three 

 miles when we dropped off to the first trap. When we were still 

 half way up the side of the ridge I saw that Hill had got his wish 

 for I could see a bear rolling and tumbling about down in the 

 hollow and knew that it was fast in the trap. I tried to point 

 it out to Hill but he could not get his eye on it, so we went 

 farther down the hill when Jim (that was Hill's given name) 

 could see the bear. He said there was no need of going closer, 

 that he could shoot it from where we were, but I said we must 

 go closer as I did not like to make holes in the body of the skin 

 unnecessarily. We had only taken a few steps farther when Jim 

 said we were plenty close, that he could shoot it from where we 



