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 anything lucky about it. Then Little Joe explained.

"That trap," said he," has got you only by one toe. It might have you by the whole foot. If it had you by the whole foot, and that is the way the trapper meant that it should catch you, there would be very little hope for you. As it is, if you pull hard enough, you may lose your toe, but that will be all."

"But I don't want to lose my toe!" wailed the young Otter.

"All right," replied Little Joe. "If you had rather lose your life than your toe, there is nothing I can do about it. You can get free if you really want to, but the price of freedom will be that toe."