Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-03-30
RED INDIAN HUNTERS.
''"ods Adopted by Them to Secure r,..,
Deer and Moose


o Nv, 'ne vast territory of North Amer
na' 1T is equally well-known that the
nesh ana skin of these animals cons.i.
tute The staple articles of Indian foad
aio clothing respectfully. Altbopob
the wants of the Indians in these t1a
particulars are identical. the means
auoptea to supply them are not so. but
oi'eh vary considerably. To secure
lne valuable prey by shooting. either
WIN gun or bow, is mmon IN oil
tfioes. In hunting the moose. the F.
quima'ix and the Montagnas denend
mainly upon their fc.tness of foot and
their skill in throwing sort of elon.
gated harpoon; AMI when once pno,
.he track OF the deer. they rarely fail
.e encompass its death. The writer
knew TWO young men of the Montaonia.
'ribe who left their wigwam in tb.
morning, travelled distance of forv
miles into the interior, discovered am,
captured deer whose carcass weiobed
nearly two hundred pounds, and re.
turned with their spoil in the snace of
about twenty hours. An effective but
cruel device which is mich used. mar.
'iculariy by the Indians who live on the
confines OF the pale-face territory. and
also by the white settlers themselves
is to place large moose, usually of
o''u' rope III rabbit-snare fashion. be-
tween Two trees on each side of the deer
track at the same distance from tb,
ground at which the Animal carries If.
nead' which proceeding through the
forest, is thrown back upon the Shout
ders.
Inc COY ukon Indians Of Alaska kill
the moose in large numbers while
swimming across the Yukon river dur
ing their periodical migrations. ana.
neuvering round in their birch bark
canoes till the animal is fatgued and
then stealthily approach and stab it in
the heart OF lo.ns." Another and more
ingenious mode of capturing deer
adopted by these Indians is thus de.
scrlbed by Mr. Whymper in his TRAY.
els in Alaska: "A kind of corral or
Enclosure, elliptcal in form, and open
at one end, is made on deer-trail.
generally near the outlet of a wood.
The further end of the nclosed space
is barrica led; the sides are built of
stakes, with slip-nooses or loops be-
tween them. Herds of deer are driven
in from the woods. and. trying to break
from the trap, generally run their
heads into the nooses tighten them,
and so get caught. or are shot while
still bewildered ard running from side
to side. Near the opening, it is com
mon to erect piles of snow with port.
holes, through which natives, hidden.
shoot at the passing deer"
We will notice lastly the "deer-
fences" of the once numerous and
powerful but now extinct Beothic ma.
ton. the aboriginal inhabitants of
Newfoundland. They are thus de-
scribed by Mr.. Harvey in a recent in.
teresting book on Newfoundland:
1.-The deer-fences were made by telling
trees along the ridge of the rivers
bank without chopping the trunks quite
asunder, taking care that they fell
parallel with the river, each tree hay
ing been guided so as to coincide with
and tall upon the last. Gaps We're
filled up by driving in stakes and in
terweaying the branches and limbs of
other trees. They We're raised to the
height of six, seven or ten feet, as the
place required and were not to be
forced or leaped by the largest deer
1t is interesting to notice that large pOr-
tons still remain in some parts of the in
terror of Newfoundland, principally.
however. in those lying to the north
east and northwest. the usual head
quarters of the Booths. The intrepid
Cormack, when travelling in Newfound-
land. saw those which lie on the bank
of the river Exploits and in the nara
tive of his expedition he thus refers
to them: what arrests the attention
most while gliding down the stream is
the extent of the Indian fences to en-
trap the deer They extend from the
lake downwards continuously on the
banks of the river at least thirty miles,
There are openings left here and there
in them for the animals to 90 through
and swim across the river; and at these
places the Indians were stationed, to
kill them M the water with spears. out
of their canoes, rs at the lake. Here,
then. connecting these fences with
those on the northwest side of the lake,
are at least forty miles of country,
ensterly and westerly. prepared to in
tercept all the deer that pass that way
in their periodical migrations. 1t was
to contemplate the gigantic
vet feeble efforts of whole primitive
nation. in their anxiety to provide sub
sistence. forsaken and going to decay.
There must have been hundreds of the
Red Indians, and that not many years
ago, to have kept up those fences and
pounds. - Chdmters' Journal.
Peter Cartwright was dying. For
fifty years he had been a presiding
elder in the church. DR.. Trotter,
friend, was by his bedside. "Trotter,"
said the old hero, Il have often Won
dcred what would say when l was dy-
inc. and now have it. Give the gos-
pel a fair chance. ~ This is the right
motto for all who are anxious about
the race problem in America, Give
the gospel. as represented in the
Christian schools of the South and Of
the Nation, fair chance
-,,Ey All ADMIT IT.