TRAPPER JOE 173

sorts of wild animals, and selling their furs to the traders,
and that this particular trapper had been very successful,
and had great influence among the Indians — in fact, that
he was “one of the big men of that country,” as he said.
These thoughts running through her mind now as she
told how they had been lost in the forest for two whole
days, and a night, and the sight of Nat falling peacefully
asleep on the trapper’s shoulder, made her feel so happy
that she suddenly broke forth with, “O Mr. Trapper! I

12

can run now. Let’s go right home!

THE stars came out one by one that night, and winked
and blinked at a strange figure stalking through the forest.
He had a sleeping child on his arm, and yet carried his
gun ready to fire at an instant’s notice. Trudging on, with
poor little Winnie half running beside him, he muttered
to himself:

“Well, old Joe, you ve bagged all sort o’ game in this
ere forest, and trapped most everything a-goin’, but you
ain’t never had such a rare bit o’ luck as this. No wonder
I stood there on the edge of the timber-land, listening to I
did n’t know what! Reckon here’s a couple o’ skins now’ll
fetch ’most

 

be putty popular at one market at any rate,
any price you could name. But I ’Il let ’em go cheap; all
the pay I want for these ’ere critters is jest to see the
antics of them poor frightened — Hello! tliere’s a light!
What, ahoy ! Neighbor, hello ! hello!”

“Got ’em both!” he shouted, as three figures, two men
and a woman, came in sight through the starlight. “All

1?

right — got ’em both