LIFTING THE TRAPS. 219 



meeting at night at their common residence. Al- 

 most half the season had thus passed away, when the 

 trapper who had returned for the night became se- 

 riously alarmed at the continued absence of his friend. 

 At length the little cur dog who constantly accom- 

 panied the missing man came home alone. There is 

 an end to every thing, and so there is to a long winter 

 night ; and with the earliest indications of day he 

 sallied forth to find the missing trapper, whom he 

 found dreadfully mangled and partially eaten. The 

 assassin had been a painter. The tracks on the 

 tell-tale snow spoke correctly. About thirty feet 

 above where the corpse lay, an immense limb ran out 

 at right angles from the parent tree. From this 

 the skulking coward had doubtless sprung upon the 

 unsuspecting trapper. 



That the puma has attacked and killed human be- 

 ings is well corroborated ; but fortunately he is such 

 a cowardly, skulking scoundrel, that he seldom makes 

 the attempt. 



