Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-01-06
gales s Sketches.
A Fight In the Woods,

Some wears ago, while in the northern
part of Maine, [ spent the month If Sep
tember and portion of October, at a "hay
farm" ON the borders of Chamberlain lake
/ lake ApmoogenegsmOok, the Indians
used to call it. The whole region was al
most an uubroken wilderness. Game was
plenty, and by way OF recreation from my
duties of assistant engineer, / had set vi
slime of traps'' for miuk and sa bic -'saple'
as old trappers say--along a small but very
rapid, noisy stream called Bear Brook,
which comes down into the lake through a
gorge between two high, spruce clad noun
taius.
Huge boulders rolled down the sides.
and lay piled along the bed of the gorge.
The brook, which was the outlet of a small
pond. pent up among the ridges above,
! formed and roared, and gurgled down
among rocks shaded by thick, black spru-
ces. which leaned out from the sides of the
ravine.
1t was wild place. I had stumbled
upon it one afternoon while hunting a
caribou Ia kind ofdecr. some weeks before
and knew it must be good trapping ground;
tor the rocks, and clear, black pOos-in
short the whole place had that peculiar
tiShy smell which bespoke an abundance of
trout and where trout abound there are
sure to he mink.
My traps were of that sort which hum
ters call figure four traps. made of stakes
and pnles, with figure four spring. Per-
haps some of our boy readers have caught
squirrels in that way. For bait | used
trout from the brook. | carried my hook
and line with me; AMI after setting Il trap,
threw i'll my hook aud pulled out trout
enough to bait it. Ny liue extended about
a mile up the gorge, and comprised some
twenty-five or thirty traps.
After setting them. | shot a number of
red squirrels for drag and thus connrc-
ted the traps together. Perhaps should
explain that drag ia a bundle Of squirrels
or partrid-cs newly killed and from which
the blood is dripping, are dra aLged along
by n wthe from trap tn trap, to make n
trial and scent, so that tie mink AMI sable
will follow it.
1t is customary to visit mink trajB once
in two or three days. But as had plenty
of time just then. | went to mine every
afternoon.
During the first week after settling them
| had excellent luck. Icaught clev, n minks
and three sables-about fifty dollars worth,
as | reckoncd il. Nv hopes of making Il
small fortune in the fur business, were very
sanguine, until one morning found every
trap torn up. The poles and stakes were
scattered over the ground, spindlss were
broken to pieces, and at one or two places
where there had been a mink in the trap,
the head aud bits Of fur were lying about
as if it had been devoured
AT first | thought that perhaps some fell
low, who had intended to trap there, had
done the mischief to drive me away Ia very
common trick among rival trappprs); but
i n hnn
10 pieces, knew the destruction was the
work OF some auimal-a fisher. most likely,
or as some call it, a 'black-cat.'
had never seen one of these creatures.
bat had often heard hunters and trappcrs
tell what pests they wcrc-ful!owing them
on their rounds, robbin1 and tearing up
their traps almost us rapidly rs they could
set them. Indeed. had read in Baird's
i believe thai it was Baird's-Wor on
Natural History, that the tisher-cat, or
nuSteid cdnd,ieRSiS, is II very fierce, car
nlvorhus animal of the weasel family, a
most determined fighter, and more than a
match for common dog.
Well, | had nothing to do but to set the
traps again, Il task wNch did in the course
of the day, really hoping that the beast had
merely paid the place a transient visit, and
gone on upon his wIndcrngs.
But the next morning showed that my
hopes were in vain, for he had gone
through" my line again and every trap was
upset. 1t really seemed as ifthc 'varmint'
had taken malicious delight in tearing
them tD pieces. AT one OF the traps a tine
sable had been caught, and, as if for very
mischief, liIe uIu,n,.lcr nad torn IIIu bvau-
tiul skin. which was worth ten or twelve
dollars, to shreds.
Surely, if here is business in the world
that demands patience and perseverance.
il is trapping. At least it took about all l
could summon, to go rrsignedly to work,
make new spndlcs, catch fresh bait, and
set the traps again, especially with the
prospect of having the same task to per-
form the next morning. | went at il, how
ever, and by IL O'Clock had them all set
save one. where the sable had been caught
when, on approaching it through the thick
spruces, | saw large raccoon gnawIng ut
the sable's head. Seeing me at the same
instant, he caught up the head. aud, before
| could unslinS my gun, scuttlcd away out
of sight.
Was 1t possible that a coon had been do
ing all this mischfcfY knew them to be
adopts AT II variety of woods tricks, hut
had never heard oi their robbinI traps be-
fore. Here was one caught gnawing
slbie's head IA The vicinity ot the broken
traps Circum,tantal evidence, as they
say IN cputt, was strong against him.
determined t. watch that trapat least.
Going over to our camp on the lake, |
took II hasty lunch, and putting a fresh
charge into my gun, went back 20 The ra-
vIne. A few rods from the place where l
had surprised the coon, there WAS II thick
ciump al low spruces. Here | hid myself
ard began my watch.
The afternoon dragged away. Crows
and hawks cawrd and screamed ;Eiugnshers
and squirrels chirred but no animal came
near The traps. The sun was setting be-
hind the high, back mountains aud twi-
lighI began u dim the narrow valley.
Thinking had my labor for my pains,
| was about crawling out of my hiding
place, when twiG snapped in the direction
Of the traps, and turning quickly, saw the
coon coming up the bank OF the brook, the
same one, | was sure, that had seen be-
iore, because or it's unusua! size.
With glauC. around, 10 SET that there
vas ~ danger, near, il shambled along rs
the spot y 4ere the sable's head had been,
aud began snllin, at the shreds and bits OF
which l..y about. Wishing to see if he
would touch the trap, did not stir, but