circle of light cast by the blazing camp fire.

They heard him chopping away presently.

"Found the very hickory you wanted, have you?" called out Max.

"Just suits the bill, O. K.," replied the busy one.

After a little he came back for a piece of the rope.

"Don't take more than you need," Owen remarked. "Before we leave here
that rope may come in handy. You never can tell."

"Yes," said Steve, with grim humor; "and there's a mighty convenient
limb sticking out nearly straight and horizontal from that tree over
yonder. If we happened to be out West now instead of ten miles from
Carson, the chances are they'd know what that same limb was meant for."

"Oh, come, none of that stuff," Max protested, for he saw that
Bandy-legs frowned and looked a trifle unwilling to go away from the
circle again. "This is a peaceful community, and they never use ropes
that way around here."

Ten minutes later and they heard a sudden snap, accompanied by certain
pawing sounds, and a great grunting. Hurrying over to where the trap
setter had been hard at work they found him with his hands on the
ground, and one leg held high up in the air by the noose he had made of
the rope.

Despite the efforts of Bandy-legs, he seemed unable to reach the rope,