52 FIFTY YEARS A HUNTER AND TRAPPER. 



such a stunt in the dark. We arrived at camp about 9 o'clock, 

 wet, tired and hungry. The next morning Uncle was still a little 

 sore but I was as good as new and ready for another job of the 

 same kind. 



Some days later we 'had a fall of snow of several inches and 

 the second or third day after the snow came we heard a number 

 of gunshots south of the camp on the ridge in the direction that 

 we had a bear trap set. It was near sundown and as we were not 

 aware that there was anyone camping or living in the direction 

 of the gunshots, we concluded it was hunters shooting at deer. 

 The shots were at such long intervals that Uncle said he did not 

 think it was anyone shooting at deer and that the shots sounded 

 like they were right where we had a bear trap set and that he 

 thought hunters had run onto a bear in our trap and were shooting 

 at it. It was then too late to go to the trap. Uncle said we would 

 get up early in the morning for he was sure the gunshots were 

 close in the neighborhood in which our trap was set, and he 

 thought it likely that we had a bear in the trap. 



We were on the way before it was fairly daylight but when 

 we came to the place where the trap had been set we found it 

 gone. We followed the trail a short distance when the tracks of 

 three men came onto the trail. The men had stamped and tracked 

 about where they came onto the trail as though they were holding 

 a council and then all started off on the trail of the bear. They 

 did not go far before they came up with the bear- where the trap 

 clog had become fast between two saplings. The trap was nowhere 

 to be seen. The men had made many tracks where they killed the 

 bear. 



Uncle said it looked as though the men intended to steal the 

 bear trap and all. We saw where the track of a man led off to- 

 wards a large log and returned. Uncle told me to follow that 

 man's tracks and see what he went out there for, as probably he 

 hid the trap behind the log. I found the trap clog behind the log 

 but there was no trap. It was snowing some at the time the men 

 killed the bear. 



When we found that the men had taken the trap and hid the 

 trap clog Uncle exclaimed, "The varmints intend to steal our bear," 



