Joe was surprised to see Sandy, at first. Then, he became upset with the thought of being followed all that time.
"Old Man," he said, "What's the idea? I almost shot you! And, look at the way you're dressed. That coat! All I can say is, you're a lucky man. Lucky for you my shell went into that tree and not your arm. What the heck are you doing up here anyway?"
Sandy reached Joe in a few minutes. While adjusting his snowshoes, he asked, "Shoot any Bigfoot, lately?"
The trapper's response came as a surprise. However, Joe kept a poker-face as he searched for words.
"Bigfoot?" replied Joe. At that moment Joe realized that if Sandy had been on his trail all that time, he must have seen the sasquatch tracks.
"Oh, you mean the tracks I've been following. Bigfoot. Well, yes, I think it's safe to say, those are big tracks from something big."
Sandy stood opposite Joe. He was nodding his head in a continuous up-down movement and was wearing a grin like a cat. Then, while pointing at the trail, he asked, "It's a Bigfoot, right?
"We call them Sasquatch, where I come from," admitted Joe.
"Bigfoot, little-foot, sasquatch, I don't care what you call it . Did you see it?"
"Well," said Joe, "Not yet. Have you seen these tracks before?"
Sandy was already examining the tracks close up. "Every winter, for the last three years," replied the trapper. I don't suppose you brought something to eat? I never did finish my breakfast."
"Listen," said Joe, "The longer we stand here nattering away, the further that sasquatch will be."
"Joe, you might as well forget about that critter. I tracked one of them two years back. I was gone for five days and never even got close. Almost starved to death and barely made it back to the cabin." Sandy continued, "If you want to track that fellow, good and proper, you need to pack enough grub for at least three weeks. And, look at the storm over there." He pointed towards the West Ridge. "It's been snowing up there all morning. You'll never catch up with that beast. Them tracks will be covered up for sure, further up the trail. Oh, and before I forget, the reason I started after you is to give you a message."
"A message?" asked Joe in disbelief.
"That's right, a message. Just after you left my place this morning, a young man came looking for you. I think he was from a lumber camp. Or, maybe he was from town. Well, you know, might have been . . ."
Joe interrupted, "What the heck was the message? What was the message?"
Old Sandy suddenly put on his cat smile and replied, "The guy said to tell you, if you're not back at work tomorrow, you're fired!"
In the next episode, Trap-Line Stew, Trapper Sandy goes over the ingredients that make up his famous homemade soup.
