SOME ADVENTURES OF MINNIE MUSTELLE, THE MINK. 257 
pulled out on the shore near the wa- 
ter’s edge. At first I was shy of in- 
vestigating this contrivance, as the sky 
had begun to grow bright and in a 
short time the sun would rise, but 
I eventually mustered up courage to 
do so, thereby making an unusually 
lucky move. 
fashioned from thin strips of spruce 
wood and was covered with a ma- 
terial like that of a bag I once found 
sunk in the brook and containing a 
big chunk of deer meat. What caught 
my immediate attention was the par- 
ticularly strong odor of trout which 
ascended from over the edges of this 
object. I could not withstand the 
temptation, so in I jumped, and found 
8 handsome trout laid out on the spruce 
strips with which the thing was lined. 
I at once seized the largest of the 
fish and lost no time in bringing it 
here. I continued making trips back 
and forth until I had the trout all 
stored safely in our house. In com- 
ing home I would make most of the 
journey by land, running along all 
fallen logs which lay in my course, 
but would always take to the water for 
part of the distance to throw off any 
marauder who might happen along 
while my tracks were still fresh. 
When returning to my find I would 
go about half way on land and then 
jump into the pond and swim the re- 
mainder of the distance. The water was 
perfectly still and by slipping in with- 
out any splash, which I could do even 
although the water was far below the 
edge of the bank, I was able to ap- 
proach the place where the fish were, 
without a sound, and in so doing to 
assure myself that nothing threatened 
me harm. 
After I had carried all the trout 
home it occurred to me that it was 
possible I had overlooked one in my 
haste, so back I went. I landed at the 
usual place and was standing on my 
hind legs with my front feet resting 
on the covered spruce shell prepara- 
tory to jumping when I received a 
The contrivance was. 
start which for a while set me trem- 
bling all over. Right in front of the 
camp and not 50 feet from me a move- 
ment caught my eye and I had a nar- 
row escape from giving a jump and 
scream. 
Before I go on let me tell you some- 
thing which you must be sure always 
to remember, and that is: When you 
are anywhere outside of your home 
and see or hear anything you fail to 
understand or which seems to threaten 
harm, never make a noise and never 
make the smallest motion, not even 
so much as to wink, until you have 
become absolutely sure that your only 
safety is in flight. All who are forest 
residents understand this way of do- 
ing, and this trick has often been the 
salvation of its performer. It may 
be that nothing threatens you, or it 
may be that some enemy is near but 
has failed to see you. In the former 
case, as you know not from what you 
are running, you, of course, have no 
idea which way to go, and in the lat- 
ter, to move will probably be to be- 
tray yourself. So remember, little 
ones, when startled to stand so still 
that you become as part of the land- 
scape until you are satisfied that it is 
advisable and safe to move. 
It was in this fashion I acted when 
I thought I saw a movement in front 
of the camp, but I finally concluded, 
as everything remained perfectly mo- 
tionless in that direction, that I had 
been mistaken, although there was a 
6 foot stump in front of the shanty 
which I had never before noticed. 
I had taken all the fish, but a search 
of the shore was rewarded by finding 
several heads, These also I carried 
home, concluding my labors with the 
sun more than an hour high. 
The following day—or to be more 
exact, the following night, for it was 
dark when I began, although broad 
daylight before I finished—I visited 
the camp landing, and again found 
some trout and trout heads. This 
time, however, they were all on the 
