With Trapper Jim in the North Woods | Page 3

are colored by the early
frosts and the first ice forms on the shores of the little trout streams.
As the afternoon passed they recovered from the effects of the long
railroad journey overnight and the joggling buckboard experience. A
thousand questions had been fired at Jim, who was a good-humored old

fellow with a great love for boys in his heart.
"Take things kind of easy to-day, boys," he kept on saying, when they
wanted to know why he didn't get busy and show them all the
wonderful things he had in store for his lively young visitors. "I want
you to rest up and be in good trim for to-morrow. Plenty of time to
begin work then. Knock around and see what it looks like where Old
Jim has had his hunting lodge this seven years back."
So they did busy themselves prying into things. And between that hour
and dark there were very few spots around the immediate neighborhood
that they had not examined.
Jim's stock of well-kept Victor steel traps were commented on, and
stories listened to in connection with this one or that. No wonder the
hunting instinct in the lads was pretty well aroused by the time they had
heard some of these stirring accounts.
"If the whole bunch of traps could only talk, now," declared Owen, as
he handled a big one meant for bear, "wouldn't they make the shivers
run up and down our backbones, though?"
Trapper Jim only smiled.
He had a thousand things to tell the boys, but, of course, he did not
want to exhaust the subject in the beginning. By degrees they should
hear all about his many adventures. It would be his daily pleasures to
thrill his boy visitors with these truthful stories as they gathered each
night around the roaring fire and rested after the day's work.
The shades of night, their very first night in those wonderful North
Woods of which they had dreamed so long, were fast gathering now.
Already the shadows had issued forth from their hiding places, and the
woods began to assume a certain gloomy look.
Later on, the moon, being just past the full, would rise above the top of
the distant hills toward the east. Then the woods might not seem so

strangely mysterious.
"When you're ready to begin getting supper, Uncle Jim," said Max,
"you must let us lend a hand. We don't know it all by a long sight, but
we can cook some, and eat--wait till you see Steve begin, and
Toby--Why, hello, here we've been chattering away like a flock of
crows and never noticed that our chum Toby was missing all the
while!"
"Missing!" echoed Steve, jumping up eagerly at the prospect of their
first adventure coming along; and no doubt already picturing all of
them stalking through the big timber, lanterns and torches in hand,
searching for the absent chum.
"Who saw him last?" asked Max.
"Why, a little before dark," Owen answered, promptly, "I noticed him
prowling around out among the trees. He called out that a cottontail
rabbit had jumped up and was just daring him to chase after her."
"Looks like he accepted the dare, all right," said Bandy-legs.
"Where's a lantern? I choose a lantern. You other fellows can carry the
torches, because I got burned the last time I tried that game."
Steve was already beginning to hunt around as he talked, when Trapper
Jim, who had meanwhile gone and opened the door of the cabin, called
to them to be still.
"I thought I heard him right then," he said, "and it sounded to me like
he was calling for help. Get both those lanterns, boys, and light 'em.
We've got to look into this thing right away."
CHAPTER II.
HOW POOR TOBY WAS "RESCUED."
Of course the greatest excitement followed this announcement on the

part of the old trapper.
Steve darted this way and that, fairly wild to do something; and
Bandy-legs, too, showed himself anxious to help. But, as usual, it was
cool Max, assisted by Owen, who managed to light the two lanterns.
Steve pounced on the first one that was ready, true to his word.
"Come on, you slow pokes!" he exclaimed, making for the door; "why,
our poor chum might be drowning for all we know, and us wasting time
here."
"Oh, I reckon it ain't so bad as that," remarked Trapper Jim. "Hard to
drown a tall boy in a three-foot deep crick. Besides, he's up the wind
from here, while the water lies the other way. That's one reason none of
us heard him before."
They were all hurrying along by now. Bandy-legs, being a little timid,
and not altogether liking the looks of the dark woods, had picked up the
gun belonging