Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-11
BY JAMES
OLIVER
CuRWOOD

faced girl, with deep pure eyes, and there
came twitch at the corners Of Henri's
mouth as he looked at It,
"My Iowaka died tree year ago" he
said. "She too loved the wild thing. But
them wolf-damnl They drive me out IL
I cannot kill them He put fresh fuel
into the stove and prepared for bed.
one day the big idea came. to Henri.
Weyman was with him when they
struck fresh signs of lynx There was a
great windfall 10 or Is feet high, and in
one place the logs had formed a sort
of cavern, with almost solid walls on three
sides. The snow was beaten down by
tracks and the fur of rabbit was scat
tered about. Henri was jubilant.
I'VE got heem-sure" he said.
He built the bait-house. set a trap and
looked about him shrewdly Then he ex-
planned his scheme to Weyman. If the
lynx was caught and the two wolves came
to destroy It, the fight would take place
In that shelter under the windfall, and
the marauders would have to pass
through the opening. So Henri set FIVE
smaller traps concealing them skilfully
under leaves and moss and snow, and
all were far enough away from the bait
house so that the trapped lynx could not
spring them in his struggles.
when they fight wolf Jump this way
an that-nn sure get in" said Henri
In trap somewhere.
That same morning n light snow fell
making the work more complete, for It
covered up all footprints and buried the
telltalc scent OF man. That night Kazan
and Gray Wolf passed within a hundred
feet of the wiudfall, and Gray VOLTS
keen scent detected something strange
and disquicting in the air. She informed
ltazan by pressing her shoulder against
his, and they swung off at right angles
keeping to windward of the trap-llne.
For two days and three cold, starlit
nights nothing happened at the windfall.
Henri understood and explained to Wey-
man. The lynx was a hunter. like him
self and also had its hunt-lne, which IL
covered about once a week. On the fifth
night the lynx returned went to the
windfall, was lured straight to the bait
and the sharp-toothed steel trap closed
relentlessly over its right hindfoot. Kazan
and Gray Wolf were travelling n quarter
of n mile deeper in the forest when they
heard the clanking of the steel chain as
the lynx fought to free itself
Ten minutes later they stood in the
door of the windfall cavern.
1t was n white. clear night so hlleu
with brilliant stars that Henri himself
could have hunted by the light of them.
The lynx had exhausted itself and lay
crouching on it's belly as Kazan and
Gray Wolf appeared. As usual, Gray
Wolf held back while Kazan began the
battle. In the first or second of these
fights on the trap-lne Kazan would prob
ably have been discmboweled or had his
iugular vein cut open had the fierce cats
been free. They were more than his
match in open fight, though the biggest
of them fell 10 pounds under his weight
Chance had saved him on the Sun Rock.
Gray Wolf and the porcupine had both
added to the defeat of the lynx on the
sand bar. And along Hcnris hunting
line 1t was the trap that was his ally.
Even with his enemy thus shackled, he
took big chances And he took bigger
chances than ever with the lynx under
the windfall.
The cat was an old warrior. or I
years old. His claws were an inch and
n quarter long and curved like slmitars.
His forefeet and his left hindfoot were
free, and as Kazan advanced he drew
back so that the trap chain was slack
under his body. Here Kazan could not
follow his old tactics of circling about
his trapped foe until it had become tan
gled in the chain or had so shortened
and twisted 1t that there was no chance
for n leap. He had to attack face to face.
and suddenly he lunged in. They met
shoulder to shoulder. Kazan's fangs
snapped at the others throat and missed
Before he could strike again the lynx
flung out its free hindfoot, and even Gray
Wolf heard the ripping sound that 1t
made. With a snarl Kazan was flung
back, his shoulder torn to the bone.
Then 1t was that one of Henri's hidden
traps saved him second attaclS-and
death. Steel jaws snapped over one OF
his forefeet. and when he leaped the
chain stopped him. Once or twice before