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When the trap was thus set it lay flat on the ground, and Skookie motioned the boys to keep away from it something which all were willing to do, for the barbed arm of the klipsie resembled nothing so much as a fanged serpent with its head back ready to strike a terrible blow. "Natives get caught in these traps sometimes," said Rob; "so the old trappers tell me.
Skookie did not seem to notice, but munched away contentedly, repeating the performance now and then. "If that's the way they eat up here," said John, at last, "I suppose we ought to learn how to do it."
"We could kill all we wanted now with the rifles," commented Rob; "but, as I said awhile ago, I don't think we ought to use rifle ammunition for killing birds. No one can tell how much we may need our cartridges later on. No, I don't think we will get any geese unless we can catch them with our hands. I haven't much faith in those throwing-cords that Skookie was showing us."
Getting a good foothold on a supporting branch, Rob made several attempts to get hold of the young birds. Finally he succeeded in getting one by the neck, and with a jerk threw it out so that it fell flapping to the ground. Skookie would have killed it at once, but the others stopped him.
Skookie now took this arm of his klipsie to where he had left the butt or hub of the trap, and he loosened up the heavy, braided cord of sinew which passed from end to end through the butt. He pushed the butt end of the arm in between these sinews so that pulling it sidewise twisted the sinews.
They use it in South America for catching animals, and there they call it the bolas, or balls. I think they use stones down there, and of course they are a great deal heavier than these little ivory weights." He motioned to Skookie to show how he proposed to use this curious device.
Skookie laughed and danced up and down, showing how it certainly would have killed a fox had the latter been there. "Come on," said John; "let's go set it somewhere." "All light!" said Skookie, who understood a great many words from their apparent connection.
Look at those sinews thick as your thumb and even one little sinew is strong enough to hang an ox!" Skookie went on with his work until he thought the strain on the arm was sufficient. Then he pulled the arm back and caught it under a slight notch which was cut in the side of the hub, which itself was open on one side to allow the passage of the arm.
One day they were wandering along the upper end of the lagoon where the grass, matted with several seasons' growth and standing as tall as their shoulders, stood especially dense. They noticed that Skookie stooped now and then and parted the tangled grass with his hands.
"You others get into the dory with Skookie," called out Rob, even as the strong sweep of Jimmy's paddle swept them free of the shingle. To launch the heavy dory was something of a task for the younger boys, but in their excitement they accomplished it, so that the two boats were soon out for yet another of the wild sea-hunts of this far-away coast.
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