New Britain herald., 1923-09-18

blazed trail had led him into the depths Of heavy thieket Of young
 spruce. He had never felt more se-
 cure. The only hint Of danger that
 the Red Gods afforded him did not ' did not in the least call him from his pleasant faneies II was only glimpse Of green where the snow had
 been shaken from e compact little group Of sapiing spruce just beside
 one Of his sets. Likely the wind had
 caught the little trees just right:
 perhaps some unfortunate little fur-
 bearer. a marten perhaps. or fisher.
 had sprung back and forth among
 the little trees in an effort to free
 himself from the trap. He walked np quietly. located the tree 10 which the trap chain was attached, bent | and started 10 draw the trap from the | small. dense thicket whence some l creature had dragged it. He was only casually interested in what man. ner Of poor, frozen creature would he revealed between the steel jaws. The beauty Of the day had wholly taken his mind from his work.
 One moment. and the forest was esleep about hiri: the little trees looked sadly burdened with their loads Of snow. The next, and the man was hurled to the ground by a savage. snarling thing that leaped from the covert like the snow demon it was: and white, geaming fangs were flashing toward his throat.
 XXI.
 Except for the impediment of the trap on the creatures foot. there ; would have been but one blow to that battle in the snow White fangs would have gone home where they were aimed, and all of Ned Comets z problems would have been simply and solved.
 This was not some little bur-bearer. ] helpless in the trap. It was no less ! creature than that great terror of t he snow, full-grown Arctic wolf, llmost as white as the drifts he I hunted through. Only the spruce ' rees knew how this fierce and cum ling hunter came to snare his foot in he jaws of marten trap. Nor ,ould any sensible explanation be made why the great wolf did not ,reak the chain with one lunge of lis powerful body, instead of sinking c nto the coverts and waiting de- r 'elopments. The ways of the wild reatures quite often fail of any kind :, f an explanation; and 1t is bold roodsman who will say what any par icular creature will do under any par icular condition. When he saw 4, ,ed's body within leaping range, he o new the desperate impulse to fight. o
 The chain of the trap broke like a bring as he leaped.. The steel leash hat it often used to restrain a savage = og would have broken no less quick q Y. There was no visible recoil; what :, tile resistance there was seemingly 7, % i'd not in the least retard the blow. did, however, affect it's accuracy. z, hat fact alone saved Ned from in- \. .ant death.
 But as the wolf lunged toward him = , complete his work-after the man. CT of some of the beasts of prey hen they fail to kill at the first leap an inner man of might seemed to aken in Ned's prone body. A great ,rce came to life within him. He lnged upward and met the wolf in le teeth.
 A great surge of strength seeming
 without physical limitation. poured trough him. In one great bound ? overcame the deadly handicap Of s own prone position springing up ith terrible, reaching, snatching lnds and clasping arms. Some way , did not know how, he hurled that lndred pounds of living steel from S body before the white fangs could home. But there was not an instant's use. Desperate with fury, the wolf r rang in again-a long, white streak most too fast for the eye to follow. Ut he did not find Ned at disad- .ntage now. The man had wrench
 to one side to hurl the creature way, but he had already caught his dance and had braced to meet the cond onslaught.
 I l.. T-a