trail,
but the course of the animal was crooked, and now there was a break.

They could hear the dog beating about close at hand and far away, but
silent so far as tongue was concerned.

"What is it, Caleb?" said Sam with calm assurance, forgetting how
recent was their acquaintance.

"Dunno," was the short reply.

"'Tisn't a Fox, is it?" asked Yan.

But a sudden renewal of "_Bow--bow--bow--_" from the Hound one
hundred yards away, at the fence, ended all discussion. The dog had
the hot trail again. The break had been along the line of a fence that
showed, as Caleb said, "It was a Coon, 'cept it might be some old
house Cat maybe; them was the only things that would run along top of
a fence in the night time."

It was easy to follow now; the moonlight was good, and the baying of
the Hound was loud and regular. It led right down the creek, crossing
several pools and swamps.

"That settles it," remarked the Trapper decisively. "Cats don't take
to the water. That's a Coon," and as they hurried they heard a sudden
change in the dog's note, no longer a deep rich '_B-o-o-w-w_.' It
became an outrageous clamour of mingled yelps, growls and barks.

"Ha--heh. That means he's right on it. That is what he does when he
_sees_ the critter."

But the "view halloo" was quickly dropped and the tonguing of the dog
was now in short, high-pitched yelps _at one place_.

"Jest so! He's treed! That's a Coon, all right!" and Caleb led
straight for the place.

The Hound was barking and leaping against a big Basswood, and Caleb's
comment was: "Hm, never knowed a Coon to do any other way--always gets
up the highest and tarnalest tree to climb in the hull bush. Now who's
the best climber here?"

"Yan is," volunteered Sam.

"Kin ye do it, Yan?"

"I'll try."

"Guess we'll make a fire first and see if we can't see him," said the
Woodpecker.

"If it was a Woodchuck I'd soon get him for you," chimed in Hawkeye,
but no one heeded.

Sam and Yan gathered stuff and soon had a flood of flickering red
light on all the surrounding trees. They scanned the big Basswood
without getting sight of their quarry. Caleb took a torch and found on
the bark some fresh mud. By going back on the trail to where it had
crossed the brook they found the footprint--undoubtedly that of a
large Coon.

"Reckon he's in some hollow; he's surely up that tree, and Basswood's
are always hollow."

Yan now looked at the large trunk in doubt as to whether he cou