rt of animal must have been here," Max steadily affirmed.
"It ate up the bait, and then must have either accidentally or on
purpose poked that heavy stick into the loop, and sprang Toby's trap."

"Sure it must have been an accident, Max," objected Steve; "because it
would have to be a mighty smart animal, and a tricky one at that, to
play such a sly game as using this stick to set the bent sapling free."

"I know it looks that way," Max went on to say; "but don't forget that
the animal that threw the ham at your head from the tree _was_ a tricky
one. Some of those beasts belonging to the show are trained to do lots
of queer things."

"Oh! if we're up against an _educated_ animal," Steve admitted as though
convinced against his will, "that might make a difference, because I've
seen such do things I never would have believed any beast could be
taught to perform. But he was keen enough to move all around here and
never once get caught in the loop. Yes, chances are he knew what that
was there for all the time; and having finished his supper, just to show
us what he thought of such silly tricks he picks up this stick, gives it
a hitch through the loop, jerks at the same, and there you are, with
three half scared fellows crawling out of the tent expectin' to find a
tiger held up by the hind quarters. This is what they call coming down
from the sublime to the ridiculous, I think."

"It's all Bandy-legs' fault anyway!" muttered the disappointed Toby, as
he commenced taking the pole out of the loop, as though he meant to
reset his trap, hoping for better luck the next time.

"How do you make that out, I'd like to know!" asked Steve.

"Mebbe if he'd only been half way d-d-decent, and l-l-let me try it out
on him, this wouldn't have h-h-happened," Toby advanced, at which the
other boys felt constrained to chuckle.

"Hard luck, old chap," said Steve; "we'll help you fix things up again,
and p'raps you'll strike it different the next time."

That sort of talk helped Toby forget his keen disappointment, so that he
actually brightened up somewhat.

"All right, Steve; that's k-k-kind of you. I was g-g-going to ask if
you'd care to test the thing for me; but we kind of k-k-know what she
can do now. The way it gripped this stick shows how it would h-h-hang on
like grim d-d-death."

"I'm going to ask you as a special favor, boys, not to tramp around here
any more than you can help," said Max.

"Which I take it means you hope t