several inches and the
second or third day after the snow came we heard a number of gunshots
south of the camp on the ridge in the direction that we had a bear
trap set. It was near sundown and as we were not aware that there was
anyone camping or living in the direction of the gunshots, we
concluded it was hunters shooting at deer. The shots were at such
long intervals that Uncle said he did not think it was anyone
shooting at deer and that the shots sounded like they were right
where we had a bear trap set and that he thought hunters had run onto
a bear in our trap and were shooting at it. It was then too late to
go to the trap. Uncle said we would get up early in the morning for
he was sure the gunshots were close in the neighborhood in which our
trap was set, and he thought it likely that we had a bear in the
trap.

We were on the way before it was fairly daylight but when we came to
the place where the trap had been set we found it gone. We followed
the trail a short distance when the tracks of three men came onto the
trail. The men had stamped and tracked about where they came onto the
trail as though they were holding a council and then all started off
on the trail of the bear. They did not go far before they came up
with the bear where the trap clog had become fast between two
saplings. The trap was nowhere to be seen. The men had made many
tracks where they killed the bear.

Uncle said it looked as though the men intended to steal the bear
trap and all. We saw where the track of a man led off towards a large
log and returned. Uncle told me to follow that man's tracks and see
what he went out there for, as probably he hid the trap behind the
log. I found the trap clog behind the log but there was no trap. It
was snowing some at the time the men killed the bear.

When we found that the men had taken the trap and hid the trap clog
Uncle exclaimed, "The varmints intend to steal our bear." We followed
the trail of the men as fast as we could for we were quite sure they
must have stopped over night not far from there for it was nearly
dark when they killed the bear. Their trail led down the hillside to
the main stream, then down the creek and we hustled after them as
fast as we could go. After going down the creek a mile or more we saw
a smoke and Uncle said, "There the varmints are," and he was right.
We were none too soon as the men were already hitching the horses to
the sleigh ready to start off. We could se