She was already faint and almost sick, and whether she could live till morning or not was an undetermined question in her mind.

To tell the truth, Sam himself felt but little confidence in his device.

The spoiled meat, he knew, would attract only the larger animals, and such dead-falls as Tom could set were by no means certain to kill these in their fall.

It was the very best thing he could do, however, and he must trust to it in the absence of any better reliance.
He concealed his anxiety therefore, and after receiving Tom's report of his operations in dead-fall setting, he drew Judie to his side and told her a fairy story, as night fell.

All went to sleep at last, and when morning came Sam aroused Tom very early and sent him to examine the traps.