“1n] THE HISTORY OF A ROOK. 95

 

you will. Buta steel trap is a shameful and wicked
invention, for whatever animal it may be set, and one
the use of which nothing can justify. It is generally
set overnight, and after setting it, the trapper goes
quietly to his bed until the next morning. But the
unhappy animal who may chance to set his foot in
the trap, very likely within an hour or two of its
having been set, is kept in agony all night long—
perhaps far into the morning, until either death from
pain or exhaustion puts an end to his sufferings, or
his captor comes lazily along to see the result of his
trapping, and ruthlessly knocks the captive on the
head or wrings his neck. No bird or beast, say I,
can ever have done mankind harm enough to justify
such cruelty as is inflicted by these steel traps, and
you will all allow that I speak feelingly.

The squirrel had hardly given me his opinion,
when I heard the voice of a man calling to a dog on
the other side of the wood. Probably it was the
keeper, but whether it was.so or not, it warned me
that I had no time to lose, and that the effort for
freedom must be made. Accordingly I gave a tre-
mendous flutter and tried to rise from the ground.
Never shall I forget the intense agony of that moment.
It seemed as if all my limbs were being torn from
my body—my heart beat as if it would burst—a film
seemed to come over my eyes, and I as nearly as
possible fainted away.

“Courage, brave bird!’ shouted the excellent
squirrel in my ear; ‘one more such effort and you are
saved!’

I heard him, but could not muster strength for