doe or decrepit buck,
reached the boys' ears. And at that day the timber-wolf of the Green
Mountains--a long, lean, gray creature as big as a mastiff--was much to
be feared.

The traps stretched so far along the creek that if one went out alone to
examine and bait them, almost the entire day was consumed. The boys did
not possess ice-runners, or skates, with which they might have skimmed
over the frozen creek and visited the traps in a couple of hours. Each
had brought a pair of snow-shoes, but these were of no use on the creek.
So baiting the traps was no easy task. Usually they divided the work
between them and thus got it over and had time to stretch and scrape
their pelts in the afternoon. One day, however, Lot remained at camp to
make some repairs on his clothing, and Enoch set out early to go the
rounds by himself.

It had been a very cold night and the ice was frozen solidly about the
traps. The catch had been good, too, and both of these facts delayed the
young trapper more than common. There were fish lines to examine, also,
for some of the traps were baited with fish which was considered
particularly tempting food for certain of the beasts they wished to
catch. It was long past noon when Enoch got back to the camp for dinner,
and then he had gone over but half the line of traps. When he started in
the other direction after hastily eating the meal, he knew he should be
out until past moonrise, and told Lot so.

"I'll come and meet you," said his campmate.

"No need. Reckon I can find my way back alone," said Enoch. "The moon'll
be up by seven and it's nigh full."

It was so, yet Enoch had no thought when he left the camp that he would
be as long delayed as he was. It was full moonrise, before the boy had
examined the last trap. He had a goodly load on turning his face
campward and was glad of the company of his rifle as he heard the wolves
clamoring in the forest. The bitter cold would make them ravenous by
now, for many of the more easily caught animals had retired for the
winter, while the strong crust on the snow enabled the deer to
outdistance their shaggy enemies. While still three miles or more from
camp he heard the beasts howling so savagely that he really became
alarmed and would have thrown down his pack and run had he not shrunk
from so betraying his fear to Lot.

He knew, too, by the nature of the wolves' cries that they were close on
the track of some quarry, and that it could not be his tra