ng as I cared to.

The middle of October came. We packed our knapsacks with a grub
stake, a blanket or two, and taking our guns started for the Big
Woods, with a feeling that is not known to those who are not lovers
of the wild.

As we only had a limited number of steel traps it was our intention
to spend the first week in camp, building deadfalls for coon and mink
and use the steel traps for fox. Our intention was to build as many
deadfalls as we would be able to attend to before we baited and set
any of them. We had built our traps on many of the small brooks and
streams to the south and east of the camp, and had built traps on the
stream on which the camp was located nearly a mile below camp.

About a mile and a half below camp there was another branch coming in
from the north. Pard and I started early one morning to finish the
line of traps on the camp stream and then go up the stream that came
from the north and build as many traps as we could during the balance
of the day. We had finished the line of traps on the camp stream, and
had built a trap or two on the other branch, when pard complained of
having a bad headache, but refused to go to camp. We built another
trap or two, when pard consented to go to camp, if I would build
another trap on a little spring run where coon signs were plentiful,
which I readily consented to do. When I got the trap done it was
nearly sundown.

It was about three miles to camp so I hurried to see how pard was
feeling. I had not gone more than a half mile on my way from where
pard turned back to go to camp, when I found him lying on the ground.
He said that he was feeling so sick that he was unable to go any
further and complained that every bone in his body ached.

After explaining to pard the conditions under which we were placed,
it was with difficulty that I managed to get him up, and by
supporting and half carrying him I managed to get him along a few
rods at a time. I could see that he was continually growing worse.
After I had helped until we were within about three-quarters of a
mile of camp, he begged me to let him lie down and rest. I tried to
urge him along by explaining that I must go for a team to get him out
of the woods, and that I could not leave him lying there on the damp
ground. It was of no use; I could not get him to go any further.
While I was somewhat older than pard, he was much the heavier, and I
was unable to carry him.

Taking in the situation, there