IG Copyright, 1884, by Beadle & Adams, Entered at Post Office, New York, N.Y,, ass nd class matter. June 4, 1899. " M. J. IVERS & CO., Publishers, s No 92 Published (James Sullivan, Proprietor,) Price 5 Cents. Vol. ll. ; * Bvery Week. 379 Pearl Street, New York, $2.50 a Year. ¢ BY T. c. HARBAUGH. Savers ST NS Spe Ca Re te GIO oman = ee Copyright, 1884, by Beadle & Adams. Entered at Post Office, New York, N.Y., as second class matter. June 4, 1899. M. J. (VERS & CO., Publishers, - No 99 ere (James Sullivan, Proprietor,) ae 5 Cents, Vol lI Every Week. 379 Pearl Street, New York. $2.50 a Year. THE SNOW-TRAIL: or, THE Boy HUNTERS OF FUR-LAND, BY T. ©. HARBAUGH. tT Was AN EXCITING CHASE, FOR WHEN MAN HUNTS NAN IN THE NORTH WOODS A TERRIBLE INTEREST IS GIVEN TO THE EPISODE, The Snow-Trail. : The Snow-Trail; The Boy Hunters of Fur-Land. A Narrative of Sport and xnife Around Lake Winnipeg. Z BY T..C. HARBAUGH, AUTHOR OF ‘SNOW-SHOE TOM,” ETO, CHAPTER I. A STOLEN PILLOW—A SHOT AND THE RESULT, Drxrp buried in the great North Woods that stretch, with but few openings, and those unim- portant ones, from the shores of the Assiniboine tv the ice of the Arctic seas, lies Lake Winnipeg, whose whcle current finds its way down the swift waters of Nelson river into Hudson bay, It occupies the center of a vast fur-bearin district, ov: r which the half-breed trapper an his red rival, the Indian, roam constantly in search of p: its. Along the banks of the Saskatchewan, which pouy its ficbd into Lake Winnipeg and on the rders of “he lake itself, are sometimes found the camps >of hunters who, for sport and profit, have crossid the fiftieth parallel, and buried themselves, as it were, within the mighty domain of te frost-king. ; A little co'lection of log-huts, flanked on either hand perha.s by a few browned Indian tepees; stands ben:ath the snowy branches of the stately bire.1es, and the blue smoke ascending from the siort clay chimneys of the former prove them to be inhabited. It is to th s region and to one of those winter camps thai we would take the lover of sport and wild li’e in the woods, and putting him — in its midst, bid him note his surround- S. now, snc w everywhere! Before the door of hut and tep'‘e, on their roofs, and as high up in the trees as the eye can distinguish! Itis in the middle of winter, when the great inland seas of the North, with their rivers, are frozen hard, so shard thate park of artillery might be drawn across them without cracking the crystal floor. In the ca:np on the shore of Winnipeg are beaten paths through the snow. Some of these thoroughfares lead to other huts, that nestle in the white forest, in which the bear is enjoying his long winter nap, and from which through the night comes the cheerless how) of the wolf. Three huts ond five tepees, or Indian wigwams, comprise this particular camp, and in the ear! morning th: doors of the former open simul- taneously as if by some signal, and their inmates appear, .. ney fornya little group of men and boys, the latter four in number—not sickly-lookiug youths, but well-built young fellows, whose rudd7 cheel:s tell that the reign of the frost monarch ig agreeable to them. Their clothes, similar to those worn by the three men, consist of deer-skin coats, blue cloth leggings, well- lined moccasins, and fox-skin caps, In addition to this garb the hands of several were already covered with huge mittaines, which are indispensable articles of comfort in the Winnipeg country. Presently an opening’in each tepee is dis- played, and forth come several Ojibway Indians —tall, athletic fellows, who seem as well clad as their whiter brethren. “Did brother Pecowis sleep well last. night?” ueries one of the red-skins, as all join the group st described. ; This question is put to a middle-aged, half- breed, hunter, one of those talkative Nimrods of the North who is the life of the camp-fire, ™ “Why shouldn’t I sleep weli?” is the respcnse. “But you surely passed a sleepless night, mon cousin, after your attack upon that store of bison-hump. You’d be a fine fellow ina fyum- ine! t Tho Ojibway grins, and lays his nand on hig stomach, as though a pleasant recollection of his last meal lingers still, _ Bison hump no keep Ocono awake,” the Tn- dian avers; ‘‘ but the night-stealer poke his mase into the lodge and steal his pillow.’ ‘* Stole your pillow?” exclaims one of the brrys, ‘Come now, Ocono, your after-breakfast yarn is a little too previous!” Ocono puts on a serious look and appeals to his Indian friends for a confirmation of biz story, but as they know him to be one of the greatest liars iu the fur country, they hesitate to give the desired nod. “Pecowis ‘don’t believe Ocono, w3'te buys ’ nn a Ocono cries, ‘‘ Will they come and see “Certainly!” is the answer, and the whole band follow the Indian to the little grouy) of tepees. ‘‘Look! Brother b’lieves Ocono now?” is said with triumphant pride, as the Indian haits behind one of the lodges and points to the nn- mistakable trail of some animal in the snow. ‘My soui!” éxclaims the old half-breed, as be stoops to examine the marks, ‘‘ wolverine hen here last night.” - £*Ocono told you so. While Ocono sleeps, the night-thiet comes and steals his pillow which was to have been his breakfast.” ** Your breakfast?” echo the four boys. ‘‘ Who oy heard of any one breakfasting on his pil- Ww: “When Ocono done eatin’ bison-hump last night him put what was left under his head for a ' pillow. By an’ by bim fall asleep to dream of a land of roasted bison-humps, when, all at once, Ocono’s head fall on ground, an’ him wake up to find hump gone. Out he runs with his hatchet, but the thief got away with Ocono’s reat so him bad to go to brother Pocato’s for reakfast, and Pocato’s bison-ribs wasn’t as good as Ocono’s hump.” The four boys burst into shouts of laughter at the Indian’s narrative, and Pecowis rousas Ocono by telling him that he shall have the pleasure of dispatching the night prowler whose keen scent and sharp claws deprived hin at the same time of pillow and breakfast. A few minutes later the denizens of the cam sally forth on snow-shoes and follow the trait | of the giutton, It leads them into the snowy ate ree ed See es Petes cage TER The Snow-Trafi. 3 forest, and is so plain that they might follow it at a run. The glutton has not taken time to gulp down the nice meal he has filched from the | Ojibway, but seems to take delight in dragging it through the snow. “He will never stop!” cries the impatient Ocono, when the party find themselves a mile from camp traversing the bed of aravine, down which the snowy trail leads them. | “He must stop soon,” declares Pecowis, whose | knowledge of the habits of the animals of the Winnipeg region is remarkable. ‘‘Do you not see that he stops often? Here is where he laid his burden down in the snow and rested while he licked it. Ah! little cousins, he is a big moe or else Ocono’s pillow was a mere | me.” ‘Heap of meat on it,” exclaims the Ojibway. **Ocono only eat ten pound last night; twenty pound left yet on his pillow.” “Only ten pound!” echo the boys, laughing. | The appetite of the Winnipeg Indians is mar- velous, and after a truthful traveler’s account of three devouring a buffalo-calf in a single night, Ocono’s confession of his feat will not startle many. | The end of the ravine is almost suddenly reached by the trailers, but the track of the glutton does not stop there, All look amazed. “Let us go back,” says one of the men hun- ters. ‘‘The thief is poing drag the bison- hump to the shores of the North Sea. We left no guard in camp but a few dogs, mon eousins, Let us not forget this.” Tbe boys are willing to go back, but Ocono sends a vengeful glance down the trail and gripes his hatchet tighter than ever. Behind them stretches the gorge just traversed, steep banks covered with a dense growth peculiar to the country rise on either side, and on the top of the banks above w_ hundreds of lofty trees. Ahead an interminable forest is seen, and the trail of the wolverine is lost among its depths. All at once one of the Ojibways utters a strange cry and points upward excitedly. ‘Look, brothers! the moose is looking down upon us from the high forest.” 4ll eyes are turned to the forest above the ravine, and not a few exclamations of wonder are heard as they behold the sight discovered by the keen-eyed savage. The head of a moose is plainly visible above the edge of the bank, but such a head! Its di- mensions, as all see, are simply enormous, and ‘be horns a wonder of their kind. Asif dazed by that curiosity which has so often proved fatal to his species, the moose continues to re- gard the occupants of the ravine, and the big- re gun of Pecowis creeps noiselessly to his shoulder, Every one holds his breath and watches alter- nately the old balf-breed and the moose's head. Suddenly the loud report of Pecowis’s piece awakes the echoes of ravine and forest, and a dark object pitches over the top of the bank above. : “Down!” cries the marksman to his compan- tons, and all spring to the foot of the snowy val, where they crouch in a group. The next minute something strikes in the glutton’s trail in the middle of the ravine, and all at it with horror. ith horror, we say, for instead of the body of an enormous elk, there lies in the snow but the head and horns of that lordly animal! Pecowis, the first to recover, sprinzs forward and turns the great head over. o sees a fresh bullet hole—his own—between the eyes, and a great crimson spot on the snow. Then he looks up with an expression of com- mingled wonder and awe, Ocono and his brother Indians stare at the bleeding head, and then turn and fly up the ra- vine over their old trail, with the wolverine and the stolen bison-hump forgotten. Pecowis is too much occupied with other thoughts to think of rae the coward and the boy Nimrods gaze at the moose-he with puzzled expressions. They knew that the half-breed’s ball had not severed it from the trunk, although with the crack of his rifle it bad tumbled over the cliff te fall bleeding at their feet, What was the forest mystery? For several moments Pecowis gazes at the forest above, then the horns slip from his hands and he turns to the youths, “Boys ready to go up there?” he says. “We are ready for anything,” is the reply. ** All you have to do, Pecowis, is to lead.” With a cry that means “forward” in the North Woods, the half-breed springs to the ra- vine wall, and the next moment all are climb- ing upward. CHAPTER Il. A FAR NORTH JOKER. Tum sides of the ravine from whose basin Pe cowis shot the moose-head was fortunately cov- ered with strong bushes, and men and boys ascended to the forest above without mishap. When one attempts to climb a steep snow- covered bank in the wild Winnipeg country one needs more aids than snow-shoes so invalu- able to the hunter in that region. He will find his ascent slow and fatiguing, if no friendly bushes are within reach, for by their assistance he can constantly draw his body upward, and at last he finds himself on the white summit, The American boys were not used to such work—they were seeing the Winnipeg region for the first’ time—but they did not'allow the troublesome ascent to exhaust them. The mystery of the easing head promised to remain such on first sight after the forest had been gained, for no carcass greeted the adven- turers’ eyes, although Pecowis bounded at once to the spot where the animal was supposed te have stood when fired at. There was blood on the snow, and a plain pote not unlike that made by a rather awkwar wearer of snow-shoes, led into the forest in a northerly direction, AJl examined the trail in silence and the boys looked at the old half- breed for an cpinion, Pecowis had a way of exhibiting his disap- probation of any thing. He invariably on such occasions took out pipe and puffed away vigorously, when there was not a spark of fire in the bowl, When the boy Nimrods saw the SE ES Sco ere ga Sarat ih 4 The Snow-Trail, half‘breed’s' dusky hand produce his te from| ‘We haven't been here a month yet, We ” they knew | the depths 5f his *‘ medicine-pouch, that they all were the victims of some practical joke, which was not at all relished by Not far from the spot where the party had halted wera several snowy hillocks like those which alwe ys serve to break a landscape in the fur-lands. The mysterious trail led directly to- ward these places, and the boys were anxious to look behind and beyond them, for they were al- ready asking themselves whether the snow humps did not hide the figure of the joker. All at once, and while Pecowis was giving vent to hi: deep-seated disgust in numerous muffs at hi: fireless aughter ceme from and startlec. every one. Loud and clear it rung out on the frosty air, ineréasing each moment. in -volume, until one would have thought that the unseen !augher had an overstrained sense of the ridicitlous. A resenttil flash came quickly into Pecowis’s eyes; prod was replaced in the medicine- pouch, and a hatchet was quietly drawn in its place. Thea the half-breed moved deliberately toward the hillocks, followed by bis compan- ions. The »oisterous laughter still continued; it. was the ‘onorous ha! ha/ HA! of the prac- tical joker, and when the little band of Winni- peg bunters reached the hills they beheld a man rolling ove: and over in the snow while he laughed with all his might. “White ‘ool never play joke on Pecowis ag’in!” crie| the half-breed, as he sprung to the joker’s side and almost lifted him bodily from the snow, “ Wal, I should s’pose not!” was the response, in the broac tongue of the genuine down-easter. “But you id shoot a moose’s head cl’ar off, didn’t yer? What! mad? Jokes ar’ free whar Thail from an’ I guess thet Budd Jenks, from aan ‘hire, ar’ able to take care ov him- self. Tbe joker proved himself the equal of Pecowis in strength, for, as he concluded, he wrenched himself frorn the half-breed’s grasp and straight- ened up witi a smile on his lips. For a moment Pecowis looked resentful, and at one time seemed about to throw himself upon the new trapper, but on second thought be adopted a wiser plan, and held out his hand, which Budd Jenks instantly covered. “Thet’s right! Knock under like a little man,” he said, laughing. ‘You see, I hed jes’ killed a moose, run ’im down, when I heerd you fellars cowin’ down the ravine. Thought I, i hyar’s fun fur one member ov the Jenks fami- ly.’ Off went the moose’s head, an’I held it over the cliff fur you to sboot at. Purty soon on. vv yer red-skins got his peepers onto it, an’ then you plugged it between the eyes, an’ I couldn’t bold it fur snickerin’.” ‘ “ Where carcass now?” asked Pecowis. * About three hundred yards over yonder; but, say, wien will them Injuns stop runnin’?” ‘* When QO:ono’s hunger makes him tbink of his stolen pillow and breakfast,” answered one of the boys. “‘Ocono? I know ’im,” said the trapper. ‘TI know everybody around Winnipeg, ’ceptin you teliars.” : ecowis, | pine: a peal of boisterous | chind one of the hillocks | are here to hunt and to learn how to live in this country, for, by and by, we are to occupy posi- een Fort Garry. You trade there, I sup: pose? “Budd Jenks trade at Garry? Bless you, no! T never trade anywhere. I’m trappin’ an’ hunt- in’ on my own hook, livin’ like a king in these woods; not growin’ very fat, youngsters, but keepin’ healthy an’ helpin’ to maintain the dig- nity ov my native State.” The last half of the sentence made the four boys smile, for Jonks was a tall and lean speci- men of Yankeedom, and the thought that ha should maintain the dignity of a State as honor- able as New Hampshire was quite ridiculous, His introduction to the hunters called forth the names.Oof the four boys, and Budd Jenks became acquainted with Ned Sanford, Jack Baldwin, Nat Martin and Tom Gray. He led the entire party to the tree in which he had hung his moose, and before long, around a cheery fire, the ‘choicest portions of the antlered king of the Winnipeg woods were de- veured. The life of the trapper on his own hook is one of peculiar freedom. With a few traps on hia back, he traverses the fur domain, and trapa wherever he finds sufficient “sign.” He occa- sionally encroaches on the hunting-ground of the Indian, or the regular trapper in the em- ploy of the Hudson Bay Fur Company, and when be discovers this he pulls up and seeks more congenial quarters. Every now and then he appears for a moment at a trading-post, where he exsi.-n~>s ais peltries for powder and lead, and, sometimes, a few pounds of black tea, and then he ¢},-nges into the vast snow-covered forests again, tu re- sume his fres and easy life. Of course he con- stantly carries his heart on his shoulder, as they say, who lead the trapper’s life in the North. He is always watched by the prowling Indian and more than one daring and goo: natured fellow, like the Budd Jenks of our narrative, bas fallen by his traps ona shrub-belted stréam, ‘beneath the deadly aim of Cree, Assiniboine or Ojibway. ; Now and then a trapper, ‘‘ on his own hook,” comes across.a comely Indian damsel who strikes his fancy, and a wood marriage is patched up. Woe to the husband if he takes up his abode near the homes of his wife’s relatives! Betiter for the peace of his mind if he had never made love to the dusky Philomel of the forest, for, instead of rearing a family in the furJands, he is compelled to fly from home, eager to bury himself in a wilderness where woman’s face is never seen. Budd Jenks, on the occasion of his meeting with the Winnipeg party, disclosed to all the fact that the days of bis bachelorhood were nearing a close. He sung at length the charms of the Blackfoot maiden whom he was soon to make Mrs. Jenks, and at the close invited the hunters to bis cabin a week trom the approaching nigh’ at he would make merry over bis change 0} fe, . ‘* Pecowis git even with white trapper by and by,” whispered the old half-breed in ‘Tom Gray's ears. ‘‘Him goin’ to marry Blackfoot girl z a = The Snow-Trail. 5 Peouis do all the laughin’ pretty soon, by’m- y, Tom gave the hunter an inquisitive glance, but he offered no explanation, although bis eyes sparkiea with anticipated triumph, While the party lingered at the fre one of Ocono’s red companions reappeared. The Ojib- way approached with an abashed expression, and started slightly when he beheld the strange figure of the free trapper. Without speaking the Indian fastened his eyes on a piece of roasted moose which lay temptingly on a piece of birch bark, and Pecowis was about to invite bim to eat, when Budd Jenks exclaimed: “He sha’n’t have a taste till he tells where the rest ov the herd ar’, I kin always tell by an Injun’s eyes when he knows.anything. You kin swap yer information fur ye breakfast, No news, no moose-rump!” and the free trapper put his foot firmly on the bark tray. ‘“‘ Moose over yonder eatin’ the young trees,” answered the Ojibway, pointing toward. the hunters’ camp several miles distant, and as Budd removed his foot from the wooden plate, he dropped before the meat and, began his attack. “ Always hungry!” said Nat to Ned. ‘‘ These Winnipeg Indians could dine constantly. But we are going to disturb the moose.” It was true, for the red-skin’s information had caused the men to seize their guns, and a few moments later the only occupant of the morning camp was the Ojibway, who was munching the moose-rump with the well-known voracity of his tribe, Headed by Budd Jenks, the hunters pro- ceeded cautiously toward the thicket at whose edge the free trapper had shot the moose whose head had resulted in new acquaintances, and a halt not far from the ground was mad 2. The forest stretched to the fringe of the thicket, and the party began to creep forward ‘with eyes and ears on the alert. Moose-creeping in the daytime is seldom crowned with success, for the animals take alarm at the slightest noise, the snapping of a twig which has been cast upon the snow by a gale is sufficient to alarm a herd. ; As the free trapper led the adventurers on, the presence of several mouse was discovere:l, They were at work stripping the young larches and alder-bushes in the thicket. All at once the sounds ceased, “, he listens to the legend and the story. In the midst of this enjoyment he is startled oftentimes by the quick, doglike ‘yelp of the great gray wolf of the white wood;, and, if he is quick enough, he can reach his docr in time to see the phantom pack dash past. A moment, and every wolf has disappeared, end a short distance ahead of the pack a poor wapiti stag is making tremendous bounds for lie. Roused from a snug cover by the myrmidons in gray, he is forced to run for it, but the end reached is seldom varied. FEiy pursuers glide over the snow with more e:se than he can, and at last the hunt ends b: his death. Poor stag! he deserved a better fat: . On the night after the exciting ba tle between the painter and the dogs, the tenan s of Camp Garry were gathered about a fire shat blazed in the center of oneof the cabins, Jecowis bad related a story of wild guide life ini 1e Athabas- can woods, and Ocono wasin the mi: st of a mar- velous Ojibway legend, when a s und inter- i him, and caused every one ‘0 listen in- nt 6c i ly. olves!” said Pecowis significa::tly, and he was about to signal Ocono to pr.ceed, when one of the Indiaus rushed to the docr which he opened without authority. In rushed the biting cold, but mor 3 than that. The ‘deep how] of the wolf pen trated the cabin, and whe the Ojibway liste ied he was joined by all his companions. Ther) is some- thing weirdly fascinating in the right ery of the wolf, especially when cold wind: carry it to one’s ears ‘across vast wastes of sno-v. In the far north where the air is pure, it seoms to pos- sess the clearest of tones; there it is heard in all its intensity. On this particular night the woods that bor- dered. the winter camp on the north seemed filled with wolves. It was evident that they were in full chase after some chosen victim, which, judging from the yelps of the chasers, was owing for a certain hollow not more than a quarter of a mile from the camp. ‘or several minutes the hunters filled the doorway; listening spéechless to the mad pack, All at once Pecowis ene back aud began to don his snow-shoes. The four boys looked on amazed. “Quick! put on the shoes, mon cousins !” ex- claimed the old half-breed, and the youths promptly obeyed without questioning. A moment later, so ee was the work oS all sallied from the cabin, rifle in nd. “Now listen, little hunters,” said Pecowia 6‘ What do you hear?” “We eat the wolves,” answered Jack, “Nothing else?” The Snow-Trail. “Wes, yes! cried Tom Gray before Jack | coid reply. ‘The infamous prowlers are chasing a dog-sledge!” The half-breed nodded as his eyes assumed a peculiar glitter. | The boy’s surmise was a correct one, The wolves were not only chasing a dog-sledge, but a human being was using his utmost endeavors to escape their fangs. His voice mingled with the echoing cracks of his whip was distinctly heard, and when Pecowis cried “ Forward!” and rung toward the hollow, the boys shouted en- | thusiastically over the thought of rescuing some wolf-chased traveler. ¢ The hollow ran through a portion of the forest comparatively open, and its shrubs and bushes were plainly visible in the light of moon and stars. In the shadow of the line of forest trees to the left of the hollow, the hunters of Camp = posted themselves, The cries of ursuers and pursued were wildly commingled. uder than ever cracked the merciless whip over the heads of the dogs straining every nerve for life, and the curses of the driver had been changed to prayers. “Ready!” said the half-breed — at the determined little force by which he was sup- ported. ‘Man and wolf git here d’rectly.” Every eye was looking down the hollow, and every trigger was touched by a finger. It was an exciting minute, Suddenly, although the progress of the hunted sledge could be traced by the victim’s cries, a long dark object appeared on the snow at the further end of the hollow. “The wail sled!” cried Pecowis, “The @ueen’s mail?” asked Nat. “Yes, little cousin,” was the response, Then the boys recalled the fact that the Great Northern Mail Route psssed directly through the Winnipeg country; that during the winter season it was carried by dog-sledge, and that the adventuresome driver was # man who car- ried his life in his brnds, If he escapes wolf and Indian and arrives safe at Fort Garry, he is entitled to all the credit due a hero. While the boys thought of these things, the sledge was gliding over the snow. Standing bolt upright in the old-fashioned mail-sledge his nether limbs buried in furs to bis knees, an with his capote thrown aside in order to give free play to_his massive, arms, appeared the wolf-hunted Government agent. The dog team was putting forth its last strength; fear of the scarlet fangs behind was goading the noble ani- mals on and on. Threats, prayers, and lash eee now; the mail-agent might as well esist. **On! on! a little further!” he cried, ‘Push on, Brandy! Chocolate! all of you! You're doing nobly. We’ll outstrip the gray devils yet. Oh for Gabriell with his rifle to face them! Faster! faster! In the woods I'll cut the harness; then I’ll tree, and you can scatter for your lives.” The man intended to abandon the Govern- ment mail! In the forest, where the ground was even at the end of the hollow, he would. quai cut the simple harness that kept the | ogs together, and ascend the first tree suffi- | ciently strong to bear his weight. | The unknown friend whom be called Gabrieil was not on band to keep the yelping pack at bay, and his chances for reaching the forest trees were utterly worthless. Down the hollow came the dogs like a streak of swiftness, and not twenty yards behind the sledge leaped the leaders of the gray destroyers. The way back was dark with wolves. How their eyes would have flashed if the Winnipeg hunters could have thrown the fire hunt’s light upon them! Bs ‘Let agent pass!” whispered Pecowis scarcely above his breath, and yet all heard. ‘Let him git bit beyond us; then, into the wolves, mon cousins | That same minute the sledge flew past, and the next second a volley of fire arms was poured into the chasing horde! Six of the foremost wolves fell dead, to be trampled in the snow by their companions, who were met in their turn by the heavy revolvers of the hunters. The gang began to fa!l back, but the avengers continued to pour cold le: into the moving mass before them. As if assured of safety by the first volley, the dog team had come to a halt, not far away. One half of the animals sunk exhausted into the snow, and with a wild cry of delight the res- cued man turned and started toward his help- ers. But he could not add materially to the achieve- ment which had saved his life, for the wolves had beaten a retreat, leaving many of their number on the snow. A parting volley, the last bullets in the steel chambers, increased their d, and drew new blood, and.the victors saw the agent sink to the ground beside them, The half-breed hunters raised him up, and carried him back to his sledge, where the ex- hausted dogs were kicked into momentary ex- ertion, and induced to transport their master to Camp Garry. The Indians remained on the battle-ground to secure the skins of the wolves, which have a moderate value at the company’s posts, while in the warmth of the fire heap in the’ cabin, lately deserted for the rescue, the revived agent recounted the story of the exciting chase. He asserted that, some enemy had preceded him with asafoetida on his shoe-soles, for the in- se purpose of securing his (the mail-agent’s) eath, © The four boys could not believe this terrible accusation, but Pecowis was not incredulous. “Oh, mon: cousins, the wolves would leave the heavy brass-bound mail-sacks for the bad men,” he said. ‘ We go see if our brother is right.” : ut of the cabin again and back to the hol- low, this time with torches. “Look!” exclaimed Pecowis, pointing trium- hantly at the snow, at a point which had not bead reached by the dog team. The boys stooped and examined it with their torches. - ‘We see!” said Tom. ‘ Somebody has passed this way ou snow-shoes.” “Two of them,” remarked Pecowis, *W6 find ’em by’mby. : ‘Do you think so, Pecowis?” The Snow-Trail. 9 A nod, and the party went back to the fire. That night the boys were told that there were men in the Winnipeg woods whose natures were more ferocious than those of the wildest beasts, and the attempt on the life of the poor mail- agent made thec ‘ge good. “We shall stand face to face with those two, villains some day,” whispered Tom to Ned, “T think so,” was the reply. CHAPTER V. NORTH WOODS JUSTICE. Tom was.strangely convinced that they were destined to meet, at no distant day, the villains who had attempted to lure the carrier of the dog mail to his doom, he poor wolf-chased fellow tarried in the camp in the woods long enough to recruit his strength and that of his dogs, and when he re- sumed his perilous journey, it was with the best wishes of all who assembled to see him off. The Great Northern Mail’s trips are decidedly * few and far between;” the heavy leathern’ ba, however, always serve to enliven the isolated posts, and the poor carriers who drive the dog- teams through the white woods have a hard life of it, They are not infrequently chased by - wolves, as we have witnessed, and the Indians sometimes from a cover stop the sledge and a heart’ at the same time by a well-directed ar- row. The boy hunters watched the rescued car- rier until he had passed entirely from their sight. ‘The poor fellow’s excuse for driving across the Winnipeg barrens at night was his oad eagerness to reach a delicate wife at Fort arry many milesaway. His love for her had almost cost him his life, and the boys wondered if they had not seen him for the last time. Pecowis who had manifested a great interest in the snow-shoe marks on the snow in the hol- low, led the way thither after the mail-carrier’s departure. He wanted to examine them in the broad light of day. The Ojibways did not ac- company the examining party, which consisted of the old hunter-guide and the youths. The battle-ground of the night before was soon reached, and the half-breed’s eyes fairly glistened when they beheld the marks in the show which had been seen before under a torch. He explained to the boys that the peculiar construction of the snow-shoes would cause the capture of the two wood villains, for Pecowis had taken an unusual interest in the mail car- rier, an interest which was shared by his young companions, The little party were groupe in the hollow, listening to the talkative guide, when a Fough voice fell upon their ears and caused all to look up. ‘Lookin’ at their tracks, eh?’ were the words that greeted the hunters, ‘‘Bu’st my buttons! ef I don’t feel like kickin’ myself all over crea- tion. Whenever you furget to lock the pantry, the wolves come, Never knowed it to fail.” During his speech the new person was ap- proaching, and the Winnipeg hunters recog- nized him as their old acquaintance Budd Jenks, the joker, The free trapper was mad. “Yes, them ar’ the same tracks what leave my shanty,” he said, surveying the foot-tracks in the hollow, ‘‘ Last_night a sneakin’ wolver- v, ine led me off, an’ I didn’t lockup, far I thought nobody would be mean enough to steal | the few weddin’ presents I had otees together | fur the future Mrs. Budd Jenks. hen I got | back everything war gone; beads, the lace col- lar—they didn’t leave one token ov my love! Thar ar’ a pair of ’em; the tracks tell that. Thar won’t be any ef Budd Jenks lays his claws on their thievin’ carcasses!” Seeing that the Yankee was ignorant of the attack on the mail-carrier, Tom Gray narrated the occurrence. “What's a Government agent’s life to a lot ov fust-class weddin’ eee exclaimed Jenks, “You kin git a dog-driver any day, but a fel- ler hez got to tramp many a week afore he gits able to buy a lace collar fur his intended. Hyar—words fail me. Pecowis—thet’s yer han- dle, I believe—ef you kin direct me to the twe rascals jes’ do so, an’ the everlastin’ gratitude ov Budd Jenks will tarry with you.” “Tracks go thet way,” answered Pecowis, pointing down the hollow. “T know thet. About fifty yards down yonder they leave the ravine and march straight upon my cabin, From thet they go into the big woods. You wouldn’t like a bit ov a hunt arter them now, would you?’ Pecowis glanced at the boys, ee the trail too old?” modestly queried at, “I ve seen fresher ones,” replied Jenks, smil- ing; ‘‘but the thieves ain’t very fur off. You kin pay ’em back fur conspirin’ ag’in’ the Government service, an’? I kin treat with ’em fur stealin’ my weddin’ goods.” After a short consultation, the hunters agreed to accompany Jenks on the trail, and as the wind was cold and biting as it swept across the snow, the party drew their furs closer about them when they set out, They were first taken to the free trapper’s cabin and shown the plundered shelf. Once more Jenks enumerated the stolen presents with which he had hoped to_brighten the eyes of the dusky maiden marked, sotto voce, that Budd could better afford | to lose the Blackfoot bride herself than the simple presents. The trail of the two villains led. the party toward Lake Winnipeg, and soon all were traversing the snow that covered. the ice. Winnipeg in the brief summer that exists in the far north presents a beautiful. appearance, dotted as it is with lovely islands, many of which are quite large, but throughout the winter the scene is altogether different, The | thick ice is covered with a heavy coating of | snow, and the trees and bushes of the numerous islands wear the same dreary garb, |. The hunting-party, now a band of avengers, | moved oe across the ice before a strong | wind. at once a word from Pecowis halted |} all. The old guide had discovered the peculiar trail of the fisher, an animal whose fur is very valuable, As it led toward an island, the half- , breed said that the wily animal had found, or in part made a hole to'the water between the hard oo o one of the eo ae the a ane et there he was supplying his appetite wi! . daintiest of fishes, : . oe @ had won, and Pecowis re- . plas | Sean sett tarry meg cwretatie sem ee es i i i” j i ! aA 2 3" 10 The Snow-Trail. Always on the alert for sport, the 8 pro- posed a bunt after the fisher, and as Budd Jenks reluctantly consented, tbe party left the human trail for the one just discovered. ? The island toward which the fish-eater’s trail led was notlarge. A number of young trees” covered its surface, and its edge was fringed by snow-covered bushes. The hunters had no dogs with which to scour the islands, but Pecowis volunteered to perform that service, and his burly figure disappeared beyond the bushes, It had been understood that the fisher, if shot at all, should be shot in the head so as not to in- jure the fur, and the boy Nimrods who were stationed near together, were watching anx- iously for a glimpse of the quarry. “ Ah! yonder is Pecowis,” said Ned to his neaicest companion, ‘‘ He has crossed the island without rousing the game. The fisher is more cunning than man.” “That is not Pecowis,” was the reply. ‘I never saw that face before.” “ Sure enough.” : Nhe two boys stared at the wild strange face, revealed to their gaze by an opening in the bushes. It was dark, sinister and repulsive, and the eyes possessed a gleam decidedly villainous. “1G is the face of one of the men we have been hunting,” whispered Tom, ‘There! it has been withdrawn.” It was true; the face among the snowy limbs had disappeared, but the broad shoulder of its gwner was still visible. The boys were wondering whether the eyes had seen them,” If they had, why did their pos- sessor keep his place? Perhaps he had heard Pecowis behind him. “They are both there!” suddenly cried Ned. “*T see two shoulders which cannot belong to one and the same person.” ** Let us alarm the rest of our party.” **'No; let us keep our post.” Ned and Tom continued to stand still. It was evident to them that the two men on the island were watching some person whom the boys could not see, yet they felt it to be Pecowis. ‘Suddenly a cry of “the fisher!” broke from Nat's throat, and the clear report of a gun brolve the stillness of that winter day. The shoulders among the bushes passed from sight at the report of the rifle, and a moment later the well-known figure of the old half-breed appeared atthe point from which the startled fisher had left the island. He glanced at the animal which had fallen be- fore Nat’s aim and then asked: “Have you seen anybody, mon cousins ?” Ned and Tom exchanged meaning glances, ** We have,” said the latter. ‘There are two strange men on the island.” “The wolves that first hunted the agent!” said Pecowis. ‘The fisher’s trail spoiled theirs. | I have found it, mon cousins.” By this time Budd Jenks had come up. The free trapper became excited when he learned that the invaders of his.cabin had been dis- covered, “A man what would steal a collar from Budd | Jenks’s injun sweetheart would do anything!” he said, ‘We must surround the faland ‘‘ What will he do with the men if we Gatch thom?” asked Jack. “Thet’s a funny question,” exclaimed Jenks, laughing. ‘‘ Hyer around Winnipeg we ca: with us the only law thet’s ov-any accoun Two murderous charges rest ag’in’ them men, tryin’ to killa Government agent, an’ stealin’ the future Mrs. Jenks’s weddin’ feathers,” The boys could not see the murderous part of the second charge, but it caused a smile as it stores from the trapper’s lips. The work of surrounding the island for the purpose of securing the human quarry was commenced, but a shout from one of the half- breeds attracted all. Two men were seen moving ata rapid gait across the lake. Budd Jenks uttered a cry of rage, and, tight- ening his snow shoes, he sprung after the twain, followed by every one. Pecowis and the gaunt Yankee kept together, and it soon became apparent that they were gaining on the men, despite the efforts of the latter to distance them. It was an exciting chase, for when man hunts man in the North Woods a terrible interest is given to the episode. On, on, over the white surface of Lake Win- nipeg went the hunted men and their bunters. The Cope could not keep pace with the lengthy strides taken by Budd Jenks and Pecowis. The overlapping of Nat’s snow-shoes stopped the quartette for a spell. The distance between the men rapidly short- ened; the excitement increased. “Took! the rascals have stopped!” suddenly cried Jack. ‘They throw their rifles upon the snow.” “That means surrender.” It was true; the men-wolves had surren- déred. A moment later Jenks and Pecowis reached them, and the Yankee krapoee had the satisfac- tion of producing from the pockets of one the articles filched from hiscabin. At first the two rascals denied having decoyed the wolves to the agent’s trail by the use of asafoetida, but their snow-shoes condemned them; they were forced to confess. Night was now gathering once more over the land of ice and snow, and the hunters and their captives started for the main-land, A cam fire was built on the lake shore, and, while the boys were enjoying it, Pecowis, Jenks and one of ae half-breeds took the two men into the woods. _ Half an hour later the trio came back alone! ‘North Woods justice had been administered. CHAPTER VI. SMOKING OUT A MUSQUAW. Tae summary fate of the two men who had almost put an end to the mail-carrier’s exist- ence remained many gaye in the minds of the four boys. They had had a taste of North Woods justice, and more than once they shud- dered when they thought of the two stiffened forms swaying to and fro under a snow-burden- ed limb deep in the white woods of Winnipeg. They longed for scenes of adventure that would divert their thoughts from this ever- ag’in,” | present picture, and the information of a rau ; j > ae - out an Ojibway custom, The Snow-Trail. é 41 quaw's psi not far from Camp Garry | promised the desired change. ‘A musquaw?” exclaiined Ned. ‘‘ What isa musquaw?” “ Hixercise a little patience, and you will see,” laughed Tom. Among the Indians of Nova Scotia the fero- cious black bear is styled Mr. Mooin, while in the adjacent countries he is known as the mus- quaw, In the winter he is to be found in his hibernacle, or winter ees the hollow trunk of some tree, or deeply buried in the depths of some cave, whose opening, small and almost entirely shut up by snow, is apt to de- i the best hunter and the keenest-scented logs. Ferocious at all times, and especially so when roused from his enjoyable nap, he is a fit antag- onist for the fearless Indian hunter and the free trapper, each of whom loves tocarry his shaggy skin to the counters of the Fur Company. As no bear trails had yet been discovered by the Winnipeg hunters, the discovery of a hiber- nacle was joyful tidings to the boys, and havin mustered the dogs spared by the teeth an claws of the painter, the entire party set out one afternoon for the spot. Pecowis was inclined to disbelieve the report which bad been brought into camp by one of Ocono’s red companions, but when the Indian halted at the foot of a giant tree, and pointed to.a little opening in the snow near the roots, the eyes of the old balf-breed began to glisten. “Musquaw in~ there sure enough, mon cousins,” he said, with a glance at the expect- ant boys. One of-the dogs, an old hunter, soon confirmed the half-breed’s decision, and the party began to clear the snow away. This operation reveal- ed a large opening, which led into the tree. While the den seemed to extend upward, it also led back, affording a choice of quarters for the |; musquaw. The hunters had carried from the | - camp several bundles of resinous fagots, which | were placed before the opening. Ocono now insisted, Indian-like, on carrying | “Let him go on,” said Tom, touching the arm of Pecowis, who was inclined to suppress the Indian’s desires. ‘‘ We are here to learn all we ean, I vote for Ocono to proceed.” “Him talk musquaw to death, mebbe,” growled the half-breed, stepping back. The Ojibway divested himself of blanket, belt and powder-horn, and struck the attitude of a savage orator before the musquaw’s den. Then he began a speech, in which he derided the bear for hiding himself in the tree, when his thicx skin should make him scorn the cold, while he (Ocono) stood before him without his blanket, and fearless and defenseless, As the Ojibway proceeded, his voice increased in tone till the cold white woods rung with its echoes. He called the bear all the nicknames by which he was known to the Indian hunters, and dared | him to advance from his hibernacle to single | combat. For five minutes Ocono persisted in | his speech, which ended by him taking an old moccasin from his fire-bag and casting it into the mouth of the den, Despite the wind, Pecowis struck a lucifer. which he thrust into a quantity of bark film, and very soon smoke was rushing into the tree, The hunters now drew back and waited for the musquaw with ready guns. The Indians held the dogs back with leathern leashes. As the tree leaued, Pecowis sent many glances to the lowest forks, as though be expected the head of the bear to make its appearance from an opening visible there. The fire, aided by @ strong, cold wind, mo- mentarily increased, and great volumes of smoke entered the hibernacle, but not a move- ment on bruin’s part indicated his presence. ‘“Pshaw! we are doomed to disappointment after all,” said Jack. ‘For once the Ojibway hunter has been deceived, and Pecowis will have many a grin at the poor fellow’s ex- nse, He had scarcely finished when the old guide uttered a cry, and the boys, following his eyes, glanced up the tree. “Not musquaw, but a catamount, mon cousins /” exclaimed the half-breed, Sure enough, crouching in the fork, abut twenty feet from the crust of the snow, ap- peared an animal that somewhat resembled an overgrown cat, although its fierceness lent it a look unknown at any time to that animal. It had apparently emerged from the upper open- ing in the tree, and from the elevated perch it was glancing at the hunters of the fur-land. “ Musquaw in tree yet,” said the red dis- coverer of the dem; “‘catamount only in the oe) story of his lodge.” is did not seem possible, but the boys had no time for reflection, for the animal in the tree, with a terrible growl, suddenly left his perch, and a tremendous leap carried him clear over the heads of the party. A flying shot was not to be thought of, and the hunters turned to fire at the catamount as |} he struck the snow. There he whirled in the twinkling of an eye, and crouching on the white surface exhibited a bold front to his foes. “What a eases animal!” ejaculated Tom, loth to spoil so grand a hide with a bullet, “You admire most that which is most dan- gerous,” said Nat as he raised his rifle and sent a ballet after the catamount. A wild scream, strangely human in its into- nation, pealed from the animal’s throat as it leaped into the air, not to fall quivering in the snow, but to turn and rush desperately wounded into the forest. A perfect volley greeted his retreat, and not far away, in an attempt to ns- cend a tree, he sunk down to crimson the snow with his blood. es Ocono rushed forward to finish the death- struggles of the animal. < A moment later a loud noise made every hunter turn again, and they beheld the fire- brands at the foot uf the old tree flurg in every direction as though a shell had exploded in their midst. ‘ “ Musquaw!” Musquaw!” broke from the throats of the horrified Indians as they started back. The bear had been smoked out atlast! ©. He bad not crawled slowly from his den as he sometimes does when aroused from his long nap, but all at once, with the vehemence of a 12 The Snow-Trail. thunderbolt, he had flung his huge body from his couch, scattering the blazing fagots almost | into the very faces of his hunters. With nose erect and eyes wide open, and full of fire, he emerged from the smoke and showed his teeth to the foe. Ocono and his Indians azed a moment at the savage spectacle, and hen fled as fast as their agile limbs could carry them. One can fly at a good pace over the snow when he is accustomed to snow-shoes, and the charge of a bear is apt to accelerate one’s movements, t any other time the four young hunters-| would have laughed at the Indians’ flight, but the rush of the monster through the smoke to | catch them with unloaded rifles was enough to ae all hilarity. ‘Run, mon cousins /” cried Pecowis. “ Mus- quaw mad now.” Did the boys hesitate? Tom was the first to obey the old guide’s in- jupetion. and the bear saw the hinder tips of is snow-shoes elevated in the frosty air. It wasa general flight; the Indians were speedily distanced by the dogs which, while they had en- countered a past thought it no disgrace to fly from Mr. Mooin. The bear had stopped a few feet from the tree, and viewed the general retreat with an expression extremely ridiculous. He did not seem to know what to make of it, but a minute later ho moved forward over the trail made by the boys. Tt was not a charge but a leisure advance, which gave the Winnipeg hunters time to re- consider their retreat. “We're fools for showing our heels to an Ad musquaw!” laughed Ned, halting to turn and reload his piece. “That's what Lsay,” said Tom. ‘‘ Right about face! Let us give the old fellow a volley full in his front.” . Standing side by side in the snow, the boys hastily reloaded their rifles. — Pecowis and his half breed friends were al- ready returning, but Ocono, notwithstanding bis boastful address to bruin prior to the light- ing of the fagots, had jong since disappeared over the crest of a hillock.of snow. ; Perceiving his enemies’ tactics, the king of the snowy trail had halted and seemed to be debating several mental propositions, His head fronted squarely the ranks of his foes, and when Pecowis advanced obliquely in the hope of put- ting a ball behind his fore shoulder, he shifted his position so as to baffle the guide. We claim this shot!” shouted Tom, seeing the half-breed’s movements. “Shoot, then, mon cousins.” The four probably recalled their lucky volley which struck the bull-moose down, and raised their rifles. Ready?” said Nat. “Ready? Of course we are.” “ Then-—fire!” Crack went the four pieces, and to the sur- prise of all; forward plunged the bear with a growl of pain. “Musquaw know when mon cousins shoot,” , said Pecowis, smiling. “Him turn his head when guns go off. Run, little hunters, run!” “Wo must fly again!” grated Ned. “‘Confound the musquaw!” flashed Tom, ag away they went for the second time over the snow, ‘This is smoking a bear out with a yen- geance!” ; The boys laughed as their fleet limbs carried them forward. All at once Jack stopped and grabbed at pounce ge ee he had dropped, He had lost one of his snow-shoes, | **A strap always breaks when one’s life is in danger,” said the boy. ‘I can’t run in this | snow on one shoe.” 3 Tom, Ned and Nat had leaped to his assist- ance, ‘Lie down on your back, and be quick about it,” said Tom, ‘Not on my back?” ‘‘-Yes; we have no time to lose.” Jack obeyed, and grasping his wrists firmly, the three boys sprung on again, pulling him across the snow at no mean gait. ‘You couldn’t make a sled out of me under any other circumstances,” murmured Jack, looking up with a grim smile, “Nor dogs of ourselves,” was the merry re- joinder. The bear saw only the boys to whom he was indebted for several bloody wounds, Ke still advanced, heedless of the old guide, who from behind a larch was trying to get a shot behind his shoulder. Suddenly the report of a rifle rung through the woods. . The huge musquaw turned with a stifled growl, and then lowered his carcass to the snow. e Pecowis had delivered one of those shots which slay even the elephant. The days of the poor musquaw had ended, and when the boys halted and sent up acheer for the half- breed’s luck, Jack rose, vowing that he felt aa though he had been dragged over hot iron. The animal proved to bea large male mus- quaw. His winter nap had greatly ‘reduced him, but still he was transported to the camp near the lake with no little difficulty. The skin of the catamount was secured, and around the fire, over bear steaks, the four boys concluded that, while smoking out a musquaw might be sport, it was somewhat dangerous fun. CHAPTER VIL GUARDING THE TRAPS, Tue four boys who had left pleasant homes to brave the cold and dangers of the Winnipeg woods, had already discovered that que earns the sport he enjoys among them. The snow-trail may furnish excitement and a certain pleasure which the young hunter loves to enjoy; but it also warns him how precarious is his existence in the land of marten and moose. His aim must always be sure, and his hand steady, for when a wounded‘ painter crouches before him, or when he finds himself pursued by an infuriated moose, he needs steady nerves and a clear mind, More than one amateur hunter, lacking these essential qualities, has left his bones among the white wilds of Winnipeg’s woods. believed that The tenants of Camp Garry Budd Jenks, the Yankeo tree trapper, was their } % $ : 4 Peta athe aps tn The Snow-Trail. :; 13 nearest neighbor, but one morning one of the half-breeds returned from the traps with infor- mation somewhat alarming, Indian “sign” had been found along the shore of the lake, and not far from several traps which had been set in hope of securing a silver fox known to be in the vicinity. The steel traps imported from the States or from the warehouses of the Hudson Bay Com- pany across the ocean, are valuable property, and the hard-working trapper cannot afford to lose them. The prowling Blackfoot is con- stantly making secret incursions to the Winni- peg country for the purpose of enriching him- self with traps, and the white trapper as well as the half-breed has found himself robbed when he expected to carry in triumph to his cabin some valuable pelt. The traps belonging to the Winnipeg hunters were the best to be obtained, and the report of Indian ‘‘sign” found in their vicinity naturally alarmed them. Pecowis and Ocono at once investigated and confirmed the news. A number of Blackfeet, evidently ona thieving expedition, had passed nigh the traps. Pecowis wentso far as to assert that they had actually discovered the traps, which from some strange cause they had not removed, “ Blackfeet cunning fellows, mon cousins,” said the swarthy, long-haired guide. ‘‘ They find traps sure, but they see that they been set for silver fox, so they wait till they kin git fox an’ all.” ‘* We can save the traps by removing them to camp,” said Tom. = “Traps stay set for fox,” was the quick reply. What day of the week is this?’ suddenly asked Ned. Nat produced from beneath his fur-lined jacket a little calendar, on which he had marked the days as they came. “Tt is Wednesday,” he said a moment later. “Why do you ask, Ned?” “T was thinking that Budd Jenks’s wedding- reception is not far off.” “Tt is not. Indeed, it takes place to-morrow night,” and Nat glanced at the foot-tracks barely visible on the surface of the snow. “Might not these Blackfeet be Jenks’s new relations on their way to feast with him? What do you say now, Pecowis?” he old half-breed had forgotten the free trapper’s nuptials, but when reminded of them he readily responded that the Indians had moved in the direction of Jenks’s cabin, but added with a sly smile that any amount of wedding festivities could not make them forget the presence of fox-traps in the vicinity. It, was agreed, however, that on the following morning the occupants of Camp Garry, with two exceptions, should set out for Jenks’s cabin in order to redeem a promise made to the jolly trapper that they would attend the celebration of his marriage to the Indian belle. Pecowis said that the Blackfeet would not venture to disturb the fox-traps until their return march; but the boys feared that they would watch them with the hope of securing a fox pelt, therefore, as the sun went down, Tonr and Nat stole from the camp and took a station underneath a huge tree whose snow-covered limbs almost touched the ground. ‘They were confident that their march to the trapping-ground had been perceived by no enemies, and snugly ensconced under the branches, they resolved to watch the fox-traps until near dawn, The traps had been properiy adjusted under the trained eye of Pecowis, and although the moon threw her cold beams upon the place of their concealment, the keenest eye might fail to discover them. wind stood at the edge of the forest, just beyond whose fringe the traps had been set. ~ The position of the young Nimrods for observation could not have been bettered. A light but cold wind blew through the forest and made Tom and Nat draw their capotes closer about their forms, and see that the furred tabs completel covered their ears. The night was bitter cold, the thermometer would have marked below zero, but the boys knew that the cold would not rie the prowling fox or the thieving Black- ‘oot. _Hagerly the twain glanced over the white piain-like surface that extended from them. The appearance of an animal would have been noticed at once, but they expected to see the figure of the red prowler of Winnipeg—the Indian, * Ah! oe ana comes our fox,” suddenly ex- claimed Nat in a low tone. At the same time he pointed toa dark speck that seemed to be moving over the snow some distance away. The young hunters leaned forward with breathless eagerness, and kept their eyes fixed on the animated speck. Heedless of the risk of having his ears frozen, Nat removed the protect- ing tabs and listened as though he felt that the approach of the animal must of necessity be accompanied by some sound, But the stillness of the grave brooded over the scene. If the boys had looked up among the snow covered branches of the tree overhead they might have seen something like a lasso’s noose descending with the certainty of fate. It crept downward between the limbs without distur ing a flake of the snow that rested upon them, and appeared to lengthen as it neared the un- suspecting youths. At the upper end of that rope were the dark hands and the flashing eyes of a. Blackfoot Indian. He was hardly Jwenty feet above the trap-watchers whose positions he seemed to note distinctly. _A look of savage humor filled his eves as he'let the noose down inch by inch, What was he going to do? : “Tt is the white fox, Nat!” cried Tom who had not removed his eyes for a moment from the dark object across the snow. “It is surely approaching the traps, What if the wily old fellow should discover us?” ‘* Nonsense!” was the reply. ‘* We are per- fectly secure from observation here. The fox : however, may find the traps. In that event I | am going tosend a bullet after him, and’ run | the risk of having twenty dollars deducted from the value of a pelt.” | ‘The next instant a strange cry burst from The tree that sheltered, the boys from the | Soar a fs #4 The Snow-Trail. fom Gray’s throat, and Nat turned to see his comrade jerked from the ground and whisked xp among the branches! \ Nat started back with distended eyes, but a cloud of snow almost entombed him, and he was forced to retreat from beneath the tree to relieve himself of the avalanche. “Great heavens! where is Tom?’ exclaimed the boy staring into the tree. ‘‘I must have been dreaming. No! I am awake, and in the night near the shore of Lake Winnipeg. Tom is the victim of some villainous trick.” Nat did not know what to do, and the reader can imagine how he stood in the snow mystified and: undecided. All thoughts of the valuable a which fortune was bringing to their traps at he moment of the accident passed frapidly away. Indeed, if he had turned his attention to the fox at that time, he would have dis- covered that it haddisappeared. - After Tom’s cry of horror uttered as _ the Blackfoot’s lasso dropped over his shoulders, came a silence from which Nat could get no hope. He felt confident that bis fellow hunter had fallen into the hands of some Indian who, like themselves, had been watching the ‘traps. The moon shone on the snowy branches of the tree, but he could not penetrate them and learn Tom’s fate. “T must find out something about the boy,” Nat exclaimed at last as he moved toward the tree, and he found himself once more on the spot from whence Tom had been rudeiy lifted. He tried to pierce the region above, but so many limbs intervened making it impenetrable, that he was forced to desist. “Tf you are alive, Tom, answer me,” he said at last; ‘but do not endanger your life by doing so. Rescue shall come!” A sound like that produced when a hand is suddenly placed over the mouth of some person who attempts to talk came down to Nat. He _ started. 1t told him that Tom was im the hands of some enemy and still alive. ‘CAll right! you still live!” cried Nat in re- sponse to the sound. \“‘ Keep a judicious tongue in your head and wait,” and then he added: “Tam going away now.” Was he going to desert the captured hunter? He moved from beneath the tree and plunged {nto the forest which was full: of shadows, but be did not proceed far, Turning suddenly, he retraced his steps and crept back under the | branches of the pr son tree from a point opposite | the one at which he had departed. Standing near the sleeted trunk with upturned face, Nat . waited for a movement on the part of Tom’s un- known captor, but none rewarded him. “Tye got to take the situation by the horns,” the boy said at last as he slipped off his snow- shoes, ‘Not while Tom Gray lives shall he be deserts ?|” Nat now drew his knife which, having wrap- ped the blade in a piece of wiled skin to prevent the frosty steel froin injuring lips and tongue, he put between bis teeth, and drew his body up among the brauches. From limb to limb, keeping close to the body of the tree, he went, with the noiseless ascent of the panther. He looked only ahead and ai- though the cold was benumbing him. he suc- aGs ‘Buildmy of the Ship. E. J. Pope..,..... 3] Pawnee Pete.