before. But the bear had learned cunning 1 



311 



Malwoc/c of 



and entered the trap from the rear, tearing 



the heavy pen to pieces as if it were made 



of straws. The fall came down again with ^J^Z^ 1 ^ 



a thud that made the ground shiver; but it 



fell harmlessly on the bed log, and Mat- 



wock ate the bait greedily to the last scrap. 



Then he entered the village, rummaging the 



wharves and sheds boldly, and leaving his 



great footprints at every door. When he had 



eaten everything in sight he headed down 



the Long Arm of the harbor, drawn still by 



the smell of fish that floated up in the still 



night air. 



Late that night Old Tomah appeared with 

 his otter skins and a haunch of caribou at 

 Daddy Crummet's cabin, on the edge of 

 the woods far down at the bottom of Long 

 Arm. All winter Daddy Crummet had been 

 sick, chiefly from rheumatism and lack of 

 food; and Tomah, taking pity on the lonely 

 old man, blundered around in the dark to 

 find wood to make a stew of the savory 

 meat which he had brought with him all 

 the way from his camp in the interior. At 



