The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-05-03

ment later he caught a glimpse of the
wolf making off through the woods
with heavy burden.
Wolves! The trapper sat down on
the log very suddenly, the cold sweat
started out all over his body, and he
trembled as he had never trembled be-
fore in all his life. He thought of how
the rabbits sometimes screamed like
little babies when they were caught
in his snares and saw him coming to-
ward them through the trees, and he
knew how they felt. And now he
opened his mouth and gave shout that
might have been heard across the Glim-
merglass if there had been anyone there
to hear. He knew that there was prob
ably no one within five miles of the lake,
and yet he kept on shouting with all
his strength. The animals could not
stand it, and presently they slipped
away and went down to the beach to
hold a consultation.
Lets go and see what he's got in his
cabin" suggested the grounding.
''Good!" cried the other animals, and
away they all went as fast as they could
travel.
The bear was first inside, and when
the others entered they found him sit
ling in the middle of the floor with
curious mixture of anger and horror
and grief on his face. He was looking
at beautiful bearskin, with soft, silky
hair five inches long, that lay across
the trapper's bed.
ssvNbot xyoc NV on1Sin p,ho 1iya6 ,,nor,
Whitefish point" he said, sorrowfully.
I'm certain it's he because part of his
left ear is gone. We got into scrap
once when we were cubs and bit off
piece of it,
The animals listened very soberly,
and there were angry mutterings from
some of them. But they did not say
much; there did not seem to be much
to say. After little they began to rum
mage. Behind the bed the beaver found
hoop with the skin of one of his rela-
tives stretched upon it. He thought it
was his uncle, but he wasn't quite sure.
Then the wolf tore upen big sack and
out tumbled heap of furs of all sorts
and sizes. There was big gray wolf
skin carefully rolled up and tied with
string and brown minkskin turned
inside out and still showing the shape
of the board upon which it had been
dried. There were otter skins and mar
ten skins and muskrat skins, and one
dainty little weasel skin that must have
been taken last winter, for it was white
and pure as the snow of January. While
they were looking at them the turtle
came toiling painfully along, and on
the ground outside the door he came
upon the shell of one of his relations.
"What shall we do with them? ?" asked
the buck.
81 suppose we ought to bury them,
said the bear solemnly; and they care
fully gathered up the skins, carried
them off into the woods and slowed
them away in a hollow stump.
'Now," said the wolf, with a savage
light in his eyes, "let's go and kill that
trapper.'
They all started off in body, but be-
fore they reached the place where the
trapper was lying they stopped. He
had shouted again, and there was some
thing in the sound of the mans voice
that struck terror into their hearts,
even when they knew that he had no
weapon and was chained to a log.
Lets watt said the bear, hoarsely;
hell die before long, anyhow"
And so they waited. The day wore
slowly away, the sun went down again,
the quiet shadows crept out over the
Glimmerglass and the stars looked
down upon the woods and the water.
! The night was very peaceful and beau
tiful, but every little while there rang
out cry of terror and pain that made
the animals cover and shrink in spite
of themselves. They knew how he felt.
More than one of them had been in a
trap and somehow their anger seemed
to be dying out, and they felt his pain
and his trouble and fear almost as much
as he felt them himself.
The trapper lay awake all that night,
but next day, about the middle of the
forenoon, he fell asleep, utterly eX-
hausted. Fear and the lack of food had
| taken the strength and the courage out
of him. The animals drew nearer and
| looked at him more closely. His face
was pale and drawn, there were marks
of tears on his cheeks and sometimes
he sobbed in his sleep. They talked
about him in whispers, and the Chip
munk suggested that it would be a good
time to pounce on him and make an end
| of him. Yet nobody stirred.
Suddenly the porcupine started up.
I'm going to cut the staple out and
let him CO." said he.
"No, you're not" cried the wolf, an
| grily.
/ WDon,t Won do If !" said all the other