another trap and set it at the side where the
bear took the bait the last time, taking all the pains possible in
setting the trap, but the result was no better than before.

I had made it a habit to hang on a small bait near the bear traps,
believing that the bear would be attracted by the scent of the bait
hanging up from the ground more than it would from the bait in the
pen. At this trap I had hung up the bait in a bush that extended out
from the bank over the brook and each time the bear had taken this
bait. I now took one of the traps at the pen, leaving the clog and
all appearances as though the trap still remained there. Getting
another clog I concealed it under the edge of the bank and set the
trap under the bait that I had hung in the bush. I was certain this
time that I would outwit Bruin, but instead, the bear went onto the
bank, pulled the bush around, took the bait and went about his
business. Now I was getting pretty excited and began to think of the
advice of Uncle Horatio but I was not willing to give up yet.

Up the brook, fifty or sixty feet from the bait pen, there had fallen
a small, bushy hemlock tree which stood on the right hand bank of the
spring, and the top of the tree reached nearly over to the opposite
bank. I had noticed that when the bear had come to the trap he had
come down the brook and went back the same way. The water was shallow
in the brook, barely covering the stones and fallen leaves all over
the bed of the brook. Going to the top of the hemlock tree, I saw
that the bear had passed between the top of this tree and the bank of
the brook. Here was a fine place to conceal the trap and I said, "Old
fellow, here I will surely outwit you." I took the trap from the bait
pen and set it in the open space between the top of the tree and
concealing all the very best I could, I again put more bait in the
bait pen and hung up more on the bush.

I waited two days and then went to the traps again, wondering all the
way what the result would be. Well, it was the same as before. The
bear had gone to the bush on the bank, taken the bait, and had also
taken the bait from the bait pen as usual. Now I thought it quite
time to try Uncle's plan, though I had but little faith in it.

It was several miles to Mr. Haskins', the nearest house, but I lost
no time in getting there for I was now feeling desperate. Mr. Haskins
readily consented to help me build a deadfall. We cut a beech tree
that was about