great moment. They were to him very much as the "keep off the grass"
signs in the city park.

So it was no shock to the boy to think that his new idol, Pat, should
be breaking a law for which he could see no reason. But what did give
him a shock was the method employed. This outraged his strong sense of
fair play. "It's hitting 'em below de belt. Dey ain't got a chance in de
world," he kept saying over and over to himself. "Dey finds de food
right by dere houses under de ice where dey ain't looking for no foul
blow, and dey helps demselves and gits a knockout widout a show." He
could overlook the breaking of the law because it held no meaning for
him, but it was hard to reconcile this flagrant outrage on fairness with
what he knew of Pat.

"Maybe Alec's doing it on de side and Pat don't know nothin' about it,"
he thought, and with this comforting reflection he felt better. As he
tramped on his thoughts grew clearer. He recalled Alec's strong
assertion that he was for protecting beaver. If Alec had been sincere
this eliminated him, and Pat had not been away from the cabin unattended
since they arrived. Moreover the traps had been set since the last snow,
and that fact effectually disposed of both Pat and Alec. As he realized
this Sparrer gave vent to a low whistle. "It's some other mugs, as sure
as shootin'!" he exclaimed. "Bet it's de same guys dat killed de deer,
and Pat an' Alec don't know nothin' about it." He paused, undecided
whether to go back or keep on, but a moment's reflection decided him.
Pat and Alec were out on the trap lines, and would not be back until
dark. He would keep on and have his hunt. The news would keep until he
got back.

But this new-born certainty that there were others in the Hollow gave
him an uncomfortable feeling and he decided that he would keep as much
away from the open as possible. For this reason as he approached the
second dam he was content to look at it from the screen of brush. It was
similar to the first, but smaller, and there were no houses in the pond
above. The third dam was but a short distance above and this was the
smallest of the three. Beyond this lay the swamp where he hoped to find
the rabbits. That his nerves were jumpy he realized by the way he
started at every unexpected sound. The grinding of one tree against
another, even an unusually loud clack of his own snow-shoes, made his
heart jump. Once he could have sworn that he heard a stick snap behind
him, and for