suggested that Si Lee would make a better squaw than both of them.

The sole as well as the upper being quite soft allowed them to turn
the moccasin inside out as often as they liked--and they did like; it
seemed necessary to reverse it every few minutes. But at length the
two pieces were fastened together all around, the seam gap at the heel
was quickly sewn up, four pairs of lace holes were made (_a, b, c,
d_, in D), and an eighteen-inch strip of soft leather run through
them for a lace.

Now Yan painted the uppers with his Indian paints in the pattern that
Caleb had suggested, and the moccasins were done.

A squaw would have made half a dozen good pairs while Yan and Caleb
made the one poor pair, but she would not have felt so happy about it.

XIV

Caleb's Philosophy

The tracks of Mink appeared from time to time on Yan's creekside mud
albums, and at length another of these tireless watchers, placed at
the Wakan Rock, reported to him that Mink as well as Skunks came there
now for a nightly feast.

The Mink was a large one, judging by the marks, and Caleb was asked to
help in trapping it.

"How do you trap Mink, Mr. Clark?" was the question.

"Don't trap 'em at all this time o' year, for they're no good till
October," was the answer.

"Well, how do you trap them when they are in season?"

"Oh, different ways."

It was slow work, but Yan kept on and at length got the old man going.

"Airly days we always used a deadfall for Mink. That's made like this,
with a bird or a Partridge head for bait. That kills him sure, sudden
and merciful. Then if it's cold weather he freezes and keeps O.K.
till you come around to get him; but in warm weather lots o' pelts are
spoiled by being kept too long, so ye have to go round pretty often
to save all you kill. Then some one brought in them new-fangled steel
traps that catches them by the foot and holds them for days and days,
some times, till they jest starve to death or chaw their foot off to
get free. I mind once I ketched a Mink with only two legs left. He had
been in a steel trap twice before and chawed off his leg to get
away. Them traps save the trapper going round so often, but they're
expensive, and heavy to carry, and you have got to be awful
hard-hearted before ye kin use 'em. I tell ye, when I thought of all
the sufferin' that Mink went through it settled me for steel traps.
Since then, says I, if ye must trap, use a deadfall or a ketchalive,
one or