to gather all
the plants and trees that might be either curious or useful, and to
observe what effect cultivation would produce upon them--in short, it
was her wish to form a complete `botanical garden.'

"To each, then, was given a separate department. Harry and I were
designated `beast-tamers;' Frank the `bird-tamer;' while Mary was
appropriately styled the `tree-tamer.' To Cudjo was assigned a very
important share of the labour. He was to enclose the park for our deer,
as well as the grounds for the botanic garden. He was also to make our
traps and cages--all of which things Cudjo knew how to do, and how to do
them well. Of course, we were to assist him, as well as each other, in
carrying out our designs.

"Thus, our plans for the future were interesting to all of us. In our
various pursuits, we should be enabled to employ all our idle time. We
had no books, either to amuse or instruct us; but we knew that we should
derive both instruction and amusement from the study of the greatest of
all books--_the book of Nature_."

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

TRAPPING THE BEASTS AND BIRDS.

"Harry was the first who succeeded in making a capture; and that was a
pair of grey squirrels, which he had trapped at the bottom of their
tree. For these a large cage was constructed, and they soon became so
tame that they would take the nuts provided for them out of our hands.
These, of course, were only idle pets; but they added much to our
company and amusement, as we watched them in their antics around the
bars of their cage, now springing from point to point, and now sitting
monkey-like, and gnawing the nuts as they held them between their
fore-paws.

"Shortly after this event, Frank became the hero of the hour; and his
achievement was one of considerable importance. For some time, he had
been keeping his eye upon the wild turkeys; and for the purpose of
securing some of them alive, he had constructed, not far from the house,
a species of penn--which is known in America by the name of `log-trap.'
This was a very simple contrivance. It was made of split rails, such as
Cudjo used for his fences; and these were placed upon one another, so as
to enclose a hollow square between them. They were raised about the
height of an ordinary fence from the ground, while other rails--heavy
ones--were laid over the top, close enough to prevent the turkeys,
should they enter, from escaping, but not so near each other as to
darken the i