Crossfork country was a little farther in
the tall timber so I thought that the change might be a good thing.

About the first of October we took a team, went into the woods and
cut out a sort of a turkey trail from the wagon road down to Boon
Road Hollow to the Hog's Back branch of the Crossfork, where we
selected a sight for the camp. We felled a large hemlock tree and cut
off four logs of suitable length to make the body of the camp about
ten by twelve feet inside. We worked them around in shape fitting the
two shorter logs in between the ends of the two longer logs; then
placing rafters at about half pitch, put on the covering, chinked and
calked all the cracks and built a chimney of stones, sticks and clay
and put in a door.

We were now ready for the trap line. We set the bear traps on
different ridges where we thought would be the most likely places for
bears to travel. Then we put out two lines of deadfalls for marten.
We then took the different branches and spring runs, building more
deadfalls for mink and coons, setting the greater part of our steel
traps for foxes. After all the steel traps but three or four were
set, Uncle said that if I would go down the creek and set the balance
of the steel traps, he would go and look after the first of the bear
traps that we had set. I set the steel traps for foxes and built one
or two more deadfalls farther down the creek. I think that I found a
mink and one coon in the deadfalls that we had set in that section.

I got to camp about dark but Uncle had not come yet. I hustled supper
to have it ready when he came, but when supper was ready I could
neither see nor hear anything of him. After waiting some time I
concluded to eat and then if he did not come I would go in the
direction he had taken as I now suspected that he had gotten a bear
and was bringing in what he could carry and that I would meet him and
help him in with his load. Before I started out to see if I could
find him I gave several long and loud "coohoopes," but got no answer.
I concluded I would fire a couple of gunshots and see if I could get
an answer, but got no reply save the hoot of an owl.

I now began to feel alarmed, fearing that some misfortune had
happened Uncle as he knew every rod of the ground in that section. I
had no lantern so I made two good torches from fat pine, having a
good supply in camp, and followed the stream until I came to a little
draw where we had a bear trap set. This trap