"Let us look around for tracks," put in Giant, and got down on his hands and knees. The others began the hunt also, and soon they came upon some large tracks, leading deep into the woods and up the rocks beyond.
"It was certainly a bear," said Snap, and now his voice had something of seriousness in it. "Boys, I must say I don't like this."
"No more do I," answered Shep. "Why, that bear might have killed us all while we slept!"
"It's queer he didn't visit us," put in Giant.
"I don't know but what he did," said Snap. "Perhaps he woke me up and then ran away. I certainly heard something or felt something."
"This is enough to give one the creeps," was Whopper's comment. "I don't want to sleep where there are bears to crawl over one."
"Somebody will have to remain on guard after this until we get some sort of a shelter built," said Shep, and so it was agreed.
"I am going to build a bear trap, too," said Giant. "An old hunter from the West was telling me of the kind some Indians make. You take some logs and build a sort of raft of them and place it on the ground where the bear is likely to come. You raise one corner of the raft up and fix a couple of sticks under it, each fastened to another stick with a strong cord. On the cord you fasten the bait, and then on the top of the raft you pile some heavy stones. When the bear comes he tries to get at the bait, but the only way he can get under the logs and stones is by dropping down on his side. He works his way in, pulls on the bait, and down come the logs and stones on top of him holding him fast and most likely killing him."
"That's an idea! We'll make such a trap sure!" cried Whopper.
That day was a busy one for all hands. To do as much work as possible on the shelter, only a few hours were spent in hunting and fishing. But their luck was good and long before noon they had a dozen fish to their credit and also half a dozes rabbits, a wild turkey, three squirrels and some small birds.