lustration]

The Phoenix had made the snares sound delightfully simple, but they
soon discovered that the job was harder than it sounded. First they
had to find the right kind of sapling, springy and strong. The sapling
had to be in the right place--one by the goat trail, the other at the
far end of the ledge. When they had been chosen, David had to shinny
up them to lop off their branches. That was a very awkward business;
the saplings swayed and trembled under his weight, and he could only
use one hand for the hatchet. Then he had to make two stakes from
stout, hard wood, cut a notch at one end, and drive them into the
ground with the flat of the hatchet. But the hardest part was trying
to bend the sapling down to the stake and fitting it into the notch.
It took the weight of both of them to bring the sapling to the ground.
If they got the slightest bit off balance, it would spring up again.
Once David fell off; the sapling went _swish!_ back into the air,
flinging the astonished Phoenix thirty feet up the mountainside.

It was not until afternoon, when the sun had turned ruddy and shadows
were beginning to stretch dark fingers across the land, that they
finished the job. But at last the saplings were set in the notches,
the nooses were formed and fastened on. Grass and leaves were strewn
over the snares; chips, hewn branches, and other evidences of their
work were removed. They sat down and looked proudly at each other.

"My boy," said the Phoenix, "I have had a wide, and sometimes painful,
experience with traps; so you may believe me when I say that these
are among the best I have seen. We have done well."

"They're sure strong enough," David agreed, flexing his fingers to
take the stiffness out of them. "But what are we going to do if the
Scientist does get caught in one?"

"We shall burn that bridge when we reach it, my boy. Now, do you have
the pliers, wire-cutters, and screw driver below?"

"Yes, they're down in the cellar. What are we going to do with them,
Phoenix?"

"Patience, patience! You will be told when the time comes. I shall
meet you tonight after dark, as soon as it is safe for me to come
down. I trust you will have everything ready?"

"Are you coming _down_?"

"Precisely, my boy. A risk, I admit, but a necessary one. There is a
hedge at the back of your house, is there not? Splendid. You may await
me there."

* * * * *

David, sitting in the shadow of the