he 'd haul them to a trench they 'd already dug and filled with straw , and he 'd stack 'em down there , one by one , like so much cordwood in the trench , and he 'd pack straw around them , then he 'd cover the top of the trench with two-b'-fours to keep the critters out-in those days there were wolves and bears and all sorts you never see anymore around here , no hodags though , that 's just a story about the hodags and i would n't ever stretch your credulity by telling you no stories , no sir-he 'd cover the trench with two-b'-fours and the next snowfall would cover it up completely , save for the flag he 'd planted to show him where the trench was .