St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-02-26

of their number missing. VI course
the animal fell victim to bruins yo-
racity. :....
The pioneer was now fairly reused,
and he determined, as all other means
had failed, to try to trap bruin. In
/ his boyhood he had been taught by an
old Indian their manner of Inannfsc-
turing a bear trap. Accordingly he
set to work to make one. A tall,
strong sapling was bent ever and at
! tached TO a peg by sinSularly formed
| knot, while bait was provided in the
shape of a divided fowl. Then the
! spring was set and the settler went
away, hoping to find bruin caught in
the morning.
! His anticipations were not gratified
I however. Two, three days passed,
/ and the bait had not been touched.
/ On the evening of the third day, as
the pioneers were gathering around
the cheerful blaze of the big Fireplace,
and Harvey was reading aloud ia the
"Life and Adventures of Alexander
Selkirk," one of the few books that
/ they had carried from civilization to
their wilderness retreat, they were
startled by loud cry.
They all arose to their feet at the
unusual sound, for the only visitors
they ever had were wandering hunters
and Indians.
THAT was surely a human voice"
said the elder Boyd, land it sounded
like cry for help. Light torch,
Harvey. and we will &c aud see what
the matter is"
While getting ready to go out they
heard the same cry again. This time
it could not be misiHterpreted-som
human being was in need of assistance.
The two went hurriediy out, Harvey
bearing large, lighted pine knot, his
father gun. The bear trap was only
II few rods from the house, and as the
cries seemed to come from that direc-
ton. the pioneers weuded their way to
that point.
AS they neared the place they saw "A
mans form struggling in the air. To
hasten forward and release the stranger
was the work of few moments only.
The man belonged to the settlement
below them. and was one whom they
knew.
"Drat your bear trap, neighbOr,"
said he surlily. at liked to have
broken my neck. 1t snapped me up
powerfully quick, tell ye."
"Well. it wasn't set for you any
way" laughed Boyd. "But come in
and stay over night. We amt over
plcntifully supplied with room, but You
are welcome to corner by the fire,
and the best we've got"
The visitor accepted the invitation.
He had been hunting all day on snow
shoes, and the prospect of ten mile
walk at that time of the night present
eel no cheerful features.
In the morning lie announced an
early departure but when his snow
shoes were wanted which had been left
outside, 10 they were missing. 1t was
enough to tell who had taken them.
f. Tracks were all about the door, and
they were those of bear.
The hunter bore his loss in good
part. "If there's 4 bear that is hungry
enough to eat dried deerskin, he's well
come to the Snow shoes. | guess can
get back to the village without them"
Fortunately it had frozen toward
morning, and the snow was hard
enough to bear him in his enforced
passage.
This was bruins last escapade until
the last of March. The fore part of
that month was rough and cold, as
February had also been, and during
the time arSd AmericdnuS remained
snug in his chosen retreat, the swamp.
But on the first warm day of spring,
when the pussy willows were blossom
ing white, and the buds of the maple
were starting, he began his depreda-
lions again.
The BOyds had, rs we have men
toned. large maple orchard, which
was annually tapped, and the sap
boiled into syrup and sugar. That
was before the days of zinc evapOra-
tors aud tin buckets, and the pioneers
way of doing business was rather prim-
tive.
In the first place Il large number OF
troughs were hewn from poplar wood.
These would last two seasons. Holes
were then bored into the NAPLES On
the south side about Il foot from the
ground, aud spOuts made of sumach in
serted, to conduct the sweet fluid into
the troughs.
The sap was boiled in two large
kettles supported 10y wooden bar
placed horizontally across two crOtched
sticks driven into the ground. The
first year they boiled out of doors, but
thesueceeding autumpBoyd had erected
a sap house of logs, which accomme-
sap and one for syrup. The roof of
! this structure could be removed at
pleasure The door was heavy one
of logs.
The sap season was "a very pleasant
one to Harvey, the most pleasant in
fact of the whole year. The boy was
never happier than when the warm
days of March approached aud the first