“You’re doin’ wonderful well, Andy,” David complimented, as he prepared supper. “You’re knockin’ over more birds than we can eat.”
“I’m thinkin’ we are, now,” agreed Andy with some pride. “We’ll not be goin’ hungry, _what_ever.”
“I got one marten to-day,” continued David. “He’s a poor one. Th’ fur is all like t’ be poor now, I’m thinkin’, so we may as well strike up. ’Tis a pity t’ kill th’ fur when it’s too poor t’ sell. If we leaves un now we’ll get un next year when they’re prime. What we gets now won’t help out any for Jamie, either.”
“Will we strike up before we goes back?” asked Andy.
“We’ll have t’ come in next week, _what_ever,” David explained. “We didn’t strike up on th’ way in. I’ll strike up on th’ big mesh tomorrow, and we’ll take everything down t’ th’ Narrows tilt that we’ll want t’ take down from here and th’ Halfway tilt. Next week finish strikin’ up, and take care o’ th’ traps, and our flat sled’ll be heavy enough.”
Accordingly the following day David struck up, and cached in convenient places the traps on the big marsh trail, and on the return to the Narrows the small remaining stock of flour and pork and tea was taken from the other two tilts to the Narrows tilt, to await the day of their departure for The Jug, and to be kept as a reserve in case of need.
Andy’s gun and the snares continued to keep them well supplied so far as their immediate needs were concerned, though they sorely missed the bread and pork to which they were accustomed, and which even in this brief time they learned to look upon as luxuries. However, adhering to their resolution to deny themselves, they set out upon their final journey to Lake Namaycush with no other provisions than rabbits and partridges, and a small amount of tea.
“I’m glad t’ be gettin’ ready t’ go home,” remarked Andy as they sat at supper on the evening they reached the Namaycush Lake tilt. “But it gives me a wonderful sorry feelin’ that th’ trappin’ is all over, and when we leaves here tomorrow we won’t come back again t’ Namaycush Lake this year.”
“That’s th’ way I feels, too,” admitted David. “I’ve been feelin’ that way all th’ time I’ve been strikin’ up. I’ve been thinkin’ how much we were expectin’ from th’ traps when we comes in th’ fall, and how we worked for a good hunt; and how--it’s all over with now.”
