, to-day," or "Didn't you see me get the
best of him?"

Chapter 40. The Rarest of Pelts

They saw that silver fox three or four times during the winter, and once
found that he had had the audacity to jump from a high snowdrift onto
the storehouse and thence to the cabin roof, where he had feasted on
some white rabbits kept there for deadfall baits. But all attempts to
trap or shoot him were vain, and their acquaintance might have ended as
it began, but for an accident.

It proved a winter of much snow. Heavy snow is the worst misfortune that
can befall the wood folk in fur. It hides their food beyond reach, and
it checks their movements so they can neither travel far in search of
provender nor run fast to escape their enemies. Deep snow then means
fetters, starvation, and death. There are two ways of meeting the
problem: stilts and snowshoes. The second is far the better. The
caribou, and the moose have stilts; the rabbit, the panther, and the
lynx wear snowshoes. When there are three or four feet of soft snow, the
lynx is king of all small beasts, and little in fear of the large ones.
Man on his snowshoes has most wild four-foots at his mercy.

Skookum, without either means of meeting the trouble was left much alone
in the shanty. Apparently, it was on one of these occasions that the
silver fox had driven him nearly frantic by eating rabbits on the roof
above him.

The exasperating robbery of their trap line had gone on irregularly all
winter, but the thief was clever enough or lucky enough to elude them.

They were returning to the cabin after a three days' round, when they
saw, far out on the white expanse of the lake, two animals, alternately
running and fighting. "Skookum and the fox," was the first thought that
came, but on entering the cabin Skookum greeted them in person.

Quonab gazed intently at the two running specks and said: "One has no
tail. I think it is a peeshoo (lynx) and a fox."

Rolf was making dinner. From time to time he glanced over the lake and
saw the two specks, usually running. After dinner was over, he said,
"Let's sneak 'round and see if we can get a shot."

So, putting on their snowshoes and keeping out of sight, they skimmed
over the deer crossing and through the woods, till at a point near the
fighters, and there they saw something that recalled at once the day of
Skookum's humiliation.

A hundred yards away on the open snow was a huge lynx and their
old friend, the black